用意 (yòng yì)

Character breakdown

• 用 (yòng) · 5 strokes

  Depicts a bucket with a handle on the right side. Based on the original meaning "bucket". The meaning of this character has shifted over time and now means "use".

• 意 (Yì) · 13 strokes

  Thought (意) is the sound (音) that comes from the mind (心). (Oversimplified for brevity. The 音 component in this character has a complicated history.)