了却
liǎo què · HSK 7
to resolve
✅ 了 (finish) + 却 (step back) = finish it and step back, so the matter is resolved
了 means to finish or complete; 却 means to retreat or send away. Together: bring a lingering matter to a close and put it behind you — to settle or resolve it for good.
了 — pictograph of swaddled child with no arms
了 originally depicted an infant wrapped in swaddling cloth, with the arms hidden or bound — a variant of 子 (child) without the arms. From 'finished wrapping' it extended to mean 'completed' or 'finished,' which is its main modern grammatical use as an aspect particle marking completed action.
却 — 去 (go) + 卩 (kneeling person)
Originally a phono-semantic compound with 卩 (a kneeling figure) suggesting retreat or yielding, and 去 providing the sound. The early sense was 'to step back' or 'reject,' which broadened into the modern meanings 'however' and 'but.' The seal-script form shows a person turning away.