下岗
xià gǎng · HSK 7
to lay off
📦🚪 下 = down + 岗 (post/sentry) → step down from your post; off duty, or laid off
岗 is a sentry post or job position; 下 means down/off. Literally to leave one's post — either coming off guard duty or being let go from work.
下 — horizontal line 一 + mark below
下 is an indicative character: a long horizontal line represents a reference level, and a shorter stroke placed beneath it points to the area below. The original meaning 'below, down' comes directly from this spatial diagram, and it later extended to verbs like 'descend' and 'lower'.