代号
dài hào · HSK 7
code name
🕵️ 代 (substitute/generation) + 号 (number/name) = a stand-in name
A code name is literally a substitute designation. 代 means to replace or stand in for, and 号 means number or title. Together they form the label you use when the real name must stay hidden.
代 — person radical 亻 + 弋 (stake/dart, phonetic)
代 is a semantic-phonetic compound: 亻 (person) gives the meaning and 弋 supplies the sound. The original sense was one person taking the place of another, which broadened to 'substitute,' 'replace,' and then 'generation' or 'era' — successive groups of people replacing the previous.
号 — mouth 口 + tiger 虎
Originally written 號, combining 口 (mouth, indicating a cry or call) with 虎 (tiger) as the phonetic and a hint at a loud roar. It first meant to shout or call out, then extended to a name, title, or signal. The simplified form 号 keeps only the upper element.