修行
しゅぎょう · shugyou · JLPT N1 · noun
cognition
修 = cultivate + 行 = walk: training yourself by walking the path
修 means refine or cultivate, and 行 means go or conduct. Together they describe refining yourself through a disciplined path, whether that is study, drills, or ascetic austerity.
修 — 亻 person + 攸 (phonetic) + 彡 hair/decoration
修 combines 攸 (a phonetic component originally showing a person being washed) with 彡, which depicts flowing hair or ornamental strokes. The 彡 element suggests grooming, polishing, or adorning, giving 修 its core meaning of cultivating, repairing, or refining oneself or things.
行 — crossroads pictograph (left 彳 + right 亍)
行 originally pictured a four-way crossroads in oracle bone script, with two paths meeting. From 'road' it extended to 'walk, go, travel,' and then to 'a row, line' or 'business firm' (read háng). The two halves 彳 and 亍 are the split sides of that ancient crossroads.