出差
chū chāi · HSK 5
to go on an official or business trip
💼✈️ 出 = go out + 差 = errand/assignment
出 means to go out or exit; 差 here means errand or dispatched task. Together: going out on an assigned task, i.e. a business trip. Same 差 appears in 差事 (errand) and 出差费 (travel expenses).
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.'
差 — 垂 (drooping) + 工 (work/tool)
Originally depicted a hand reaching down to grasp grain stalks of uneven length, suggesting discrepancy or unevenness. From this came the meaning 'difference' or 'to differ.' The reading chā specifically carries the sense of disparity, while other readings developed meanings like 'to dispatch' (chāi) and 'poor/lacking' (chà).