感激不尽 (gǎn jī bù jìn) — to be extremely grateful; can't thank someone enough

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

感 pairs 咸, which gives the sound, with 心, the heart, for feeling.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

In 激, the 氵 side marks water, and 敫 gives the sound jiǎo; the original sense is water swashing.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 盡; 尽 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 盡 shows 聿 (hand holding a brush) and 灬 (bristles) over 皿 (dish), cleaning a dish until it is empty. The simplified 尽 is a shorthand, not those historical parts.