高温
gāowēn · HSK 5
high temperature
🌡️🔥 高温 = high + warm/hot (温 = warm temperature)
Compound: 高 gāo means high/tall, 温 wēn means warm. Together they literally read high-warm, the standard term for high temperature or heat. 温 also shows up in 温度 (temperature) and 温暖 (warm).
高 — pictograph of a tall building/tower
高 is a pictograph of a tall structure, likely a watchtower or multi-story gate, with a roof on top, an upper chamber, and a base below. From this concrete image of height it extended to the general meanings 'tall,' 'high,' and figuratively 'lofty' or 'noble.'