倘若
tǎngruò · HSK 7
if
倘 (if) + 若 (if-like) = two if-words paired; both halves mean if, so the compound just doubles down on supposing
倘若 stacks two near-synonyms for if. 倘 carries the supposing sense and 若 means as-if or like; pairing them makes a formal in case. Sound cue: tǎngruò starts like tang, the tentative tang of an unsure maybe.
若 — grass radical 艹 + right hand 右
Originally a pictograph of a person tidying their hair with both hands, suggesting compliance or 'to follow.' Over time it was borrowed phonetically to mean 'if' or 'like/as,' which became its dominant modern meanings. The grass radical on top reflects later script standardization rather than the original image.