冲

衝
chòng
#701 most
frequent character
powerful, vigorous, pungent

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

冲 chōng began as water gushing out. 中 zhōng gives the sound, and 冫 ice here is shorthand for an older 氵 water. The meaning moved through washing and diluting to 'to collide', borrowed for its sound, and on to 'to charge'. Read chòng, it means fierce or facing toward something.

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Same Characters, Different Readings

HSK 5
冲chōng
(of water) to dash against

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