从而
cóngér · HSK 5
thus
➡️ 从 = follow + 而 = and-so; following from that, thereby
从 means follow/from and 而 is a classical connector meaning and-so/then. Together 从而 links a cause to its result: from this, it follows that... Used in formal writing to mark a logical consequence.
从 — two 人 (person) figures, one following the other
从 is a pictographic compound showing one person walking behind another, vividly depicting the act of following. The original meaning 'to follow' was extended to 'from' (the starting point one follows out of) and 'to obey'. The traditional form 從 added 辵 (movement) and 止 (foot) to reinforce the walking sense.
而 — pictograph of beard/whiskers hanging from chin
Originally a pictograph of a beard or facial hair hanging below the chin, visible clearly in oracle bone and bronze script forms. The beard meaning was lost early, and the character was borrowed phonetically to write the grammatical conjunction 'and/but/yet'. This connective use has been standard since classical Chinese.