伴随
bànsuí · HSK 7
accompany
🚶♂️🚶 bàn (companion) + suí (follow) = a companion who follows along
半 means half — two halves of a person make a companion (伴). 随 means to follow. Together: someone who stays by your side and follows wherever you go.
伴 — person radical 亻 + half 半
A semantic-phonetic compound: 亻(person) gives the meaning and 半 (bàn, 'half') supplies the sound while also hinting at 'one of a pair.' The original sense was 'companion' or 'partner,' someone who is your other half, and from there it extended to 'accompany.'
随 — 辶 (walk) + 阝 (mound) + 有 phonetic
随 combines the walk radical 辶 with a phonetic component derived from 隋. The original sense is 'to follow along a path,' from the walking radical suggesting movement after someone. Over time it broadened to mean 'follow,' 'accompany,' or 'comply with.'