百万富翁 (bǎi wàn fù wēng) — millionaire

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

百 combines 一, which carries the number meaning, with 白, which provides the sound.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 萬; 万 is its simplified writing.

For 万, the form 萬 was originally a picture of a scorpion, later borrowed for its sound to write 'ten thousand'; the scorpion picture is unrelated to that number.

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

富 pairs 宀, a roof-shaped part, with 畐, which gives the sound fú.

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

翁 combines 羽 (wings) with 公, which gives the sound. Its shape originally pointed to feathers, and it later came to be used for “old man” and related senses.