出动
chū dòng · HSK 6
to dispatch troops
🚀 出 (exit/go out) + 动 (move/action) = move out, set off
出动 literally combines 出 'go out' with 动 'move/act', giving 'move out' — used for dispatching troops, sending out vehicles, or a team heading out on a mission.
出 — foot 止 emerging from enclosure 凵
出 is a pictograph showing a foot or plant stepping out of a hollow or enclosure, depicting the act of going forth. The original sense of 'coming out' or 'emerging' has remained stable since oracle bone script. It now broadly means 'to exit, go out, or produce.'
动 — force 力 + heavy/重 (simplified from 動)
The traditional form 動 combines 重 (heavy) as the phonetic with 力 (force/strength) as the semantic, suggesting the effort needed to move something heavy. The simplified form 动 replaces 重 with 云, keeping 力 to convey action and motion.