举手
jǔshǒu · HSK 2
raise one's hand
🙋 举 = raise/lift + 手 = hand
举 means to lift or raise (also in 举重 weightlifting, 举办 hold/host), and 手 is hand. Together: raise a hand — literally in class, or figuratively to volunteer or show.
举 — hands 𠆢 + give 与 (simplified from 擧)
Originally written 擧, showing hands (手) lifting something together with the phonetic 與 'together'. The simplified form 举 keeps the idea of many hands raising up. Core meaning 'to lift, raise' extended to 'to launch, propose, hold (an event)'.
手 — pictograph of a hand with five fingers
手 is a pictograph showing an open hand with fingers and a wrist. Early bronze and oracle bone forms clearly depict five splayed fingers, which simplified over time into the modern shape. It keeps its original meaning of 'hand' and also serves as a radical in many characters related to hand actions.