公演
こうえん · kouen · JLPT N3 · noun
performance
🎭 公演 = public (公) + perform (演): a show put on for the public
演 means perform, as in 演技 (acting) and 演奏 (playing music). 公 means public, as in 公園 (park). Watch out: 公園 park is also read こうえん, so a free concert in the park is a 公演 at the 公園.
公 — eight 八 + private 厶
Originally an ideograph showing 八 (to divide) over 厶 (private/self), depicting the act of splitting away from selfish interest. The combination came to mean 'public' or 'fair,' the opposite of private. It later extended to senses like 'duke,' 'lord,' and 'grandfather.'
演 — water 氵 + 寅 (yín, phonetic)
演 is a semantic-phonetic compound: the water radical 氵 gives the meaning, originally referring to water flowing far and spreading out, while 寅 supplies the sound. From 'water extending' it broadened to 'develop, elaborate, perform,' as in unfolding a story or acting out a play.