付出
fùchū · HSK 4
pay
💸 付 = pay/hand over + 出 = go out; together: pay out, expend
付 shows a hand 寸 giving something to a person 亻 — handing over. 出 means to go out or send forth. Combined, 付出 means what you pay out or give of yourself — effort, money, time.
付 — person radical 亻 + hand 寸
付 originally pictured a hand (寸) reaching out to hand something to a person (亻), depicting the act of giving or delivering. The core sense 'to hand over, deliver, pay' has remained stable since ancient bronze inscriptions. It also serves as a phonetic component in characters like 附, 符, and 府.
出 — foot 止 emerging from enclosure 凵
出 is a pictograph showing a foot or plant stepping out of a hollow or enclosure, depicting the act of going forth. The original sense of 'coming out' or 'emerging' has remained stable since oracle bone script. It now broadly means 'to exit, go out, or produce.'