依托
yī tuō · HSK 7
to rely on
🤝 依 lean-on + 托 entrust = both halves mean rely, so the word doubles down on dependence
依 carries the sense of leaning on something; 托 means to entrust or prop up. Stacked together they reinforce one idea: to rely on or depend on for support.
依 — person radical 亻 + clothing 衣
A semantic-phonetic compound: 亻(person) gives the meaning of relying on someone, while 衣 (yī, clothing) supplies the sound. The original sense pictured a person leaning on or wrapped in clothing, extended to the modern meanings of 'rely on,' 'depend on,' and 'according to.'
托 — hand radical 扌 + 乇 (phonetic)
A semantic-phonetic compound: 扌 (hand) gives the meaning—actions done with the hands like supporting, holding up, or entrusting—while 乇 supplies the sound. The original sense of physically holding something on the palm extended to figurative uses like 'entrust' or 'rely on'.