事物
shìwù · HSK 4
thing
📦 事 = matter/affair + 物 = thing; together: things/affairs
事 means matter or affair, 物 means object or thing. The compound 事物 covers things in a broad sense — objects, matters, phenomena. Shìwù shares its sound with 食物 (food), so context tells them apart.
事 — hand 又 holding a banner/tablet on a pole
Originally a pictograph of a hand (又) grasping a pole or ceremonial banner used by an official, depicting the act of conducting court business. From this it came to mean 'affair, matter, business, service.' It shares an ancient origin with 史 (scribe) and 吏 (official).