依靠
yīkào · HSK 4
rely/depend on
🤝 依 = rely + 靠 = lean on; lean-and-rely pair
依 (rely) pairs with 靠 (lean against, lean on) — both characters carry the sense of depending on support. Together they reinforce each other: to rely on someone is to lean on them.
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.'
靠 — 告 (gào, phonetic) + 非 (fēi)
A semantic-phonetic compound: 告 supplies the sound (gào → kào) and 非 ('back-to-back') hints at the meaning of leaning. Originally meant 'to lean against' something, then extended to 'rely on, depend on,' and in modern usage also 'reliable' or 'near to.'