伸张
shēn zhāng · HSK 7
to uphold
⚖️ 伸 stretch + 张 spread = to stretch and spread justice outward so it reaches everyone
伸 — person radical 亻 + 申 (extend/state)
伸 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The left side 亻 (person) gives the meaning, suggesting a body action, while 申 originally depicted lightning stretching across the sky and supplies the sound. Together they convey the idea of a person stretching or extending.
张 — bow 弓 + long 长 (phonetic)
张 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The left side 弓 (bow) gives the meaning, originally referring to stringing or drawing a bow. The right side 长 supplies the sound. From 'draw a bow' it extended to 'stretch, open, spread,' and is now also a very common surname.