决定
juédìng · HSK 3
decide
⚖️ 决 = decide/settle + 定 = fix/set — together: settle and fix a choice
决 originally meant to breach a dam (force a flow one way); 定 means to fix or make stable. Combined, 决定 = force the matter one way and lock it in — a firm decision.
定 — roof 宀 + 正 (correct/upright, phonetic)
Originally written with 宀 (roof) over 正 (upright/correct), suggesting a household settled and orderly under its roof. Over time 正 simplified to 㐬-like form at the bottom, and the meaning shifted from 'settled home' to the broader senses of 'fix, stable, decide.'