出演
しゅつえん · shutsuen · JLPT N1 · noun
performer
🎭 出 (come out) + 演 (perform) = coming out to perform on stage
Shutsuen combines 出 (to come out, appear) and 演 (to perform). Together they mean appearing on stage as a performer, often the leading act or headline role.
出 — foot 止 emerging from enclosure 凵
出 is a pictograph showing a foot or plant stepping out of a hollow or enclosure, depicting the act of going forth. The original sense of 'coming out' or 'emerging' has remained stable since oracle bone script. It now broadly means 'to exit, go out, or produce.'
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.