人质
rén zhì · HSK 7
hostage
🧍🔒 人 = person + 质 (pledge/collateral): a person held as a pledge
人 means person; 质 means pledge or collateral (as in 质量, 抵押). A hostage is literally a person handed over as a guarantee or security in a deal.
人 — pictograph of a standing person
人 is a pictograph showing a person viewed from the side, with two strokes representing the legs and torso of a standing human. In oracle bone script it clearly depicted a figure leaning slightly forward. The meaning has remained 'person' or 'human' throughout its history.