高科技
gāokējì · HSK 6
high technology
🤖 高 (high) + 科技 (science-technology) = high-tech
科 = branch/discipline of study; 技 = skill/craft. Together 科技 is the standard compound for science-and-technology. Prefix 高 (tall/high) gives the modern sense of advanced or cutting-edge tech.
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.'
科 — grain 禾 + measure 斗
科 combines 禾 (grain) and 斗 (a dipper/measure), originally depicting the act of measuring or grading grain. From this, it extended to mean classification, category, and branch of study. Today it commonly appears in words for science (科学) and academic disciplines.