名人
めいじん · meijin · JLPT N3 · noun
maestro
🏆 名人 = name + person: someone whose skill made their name
名 (mei) means name or fame, and 人 (jin) means person. A 名人 is a person with a name, someone known for mastery. In shogi and go, Meijin is a top title held by the champion.
名 — evening 夕 + mouth 口
A compound ideograph: in the dark of evening (夕), one cannot recognize others by sight, so the mouth (口) calls out a name to identify oneself. The original sense of 'name' broadened to include reputation, fame, and a measure word for people.
人 — pictograph of a standing person
人 is a pictograph showing a person viewed from the side, with two strokes representing the legs and torso of a standing human. In oracle bone script it clearly depicted a figure leaning slightly forward. The meaning has remained 'person' or 'human' throughout its history.