出示
chū shì · HSK 7
to take out and show to others
🪪 chū shì = exit + show — you take something OUT and SHOW it
The first character 出 means 'out/exit' and 示 means 'to show/display.' Together they literally mean 'bring out and show' — like pulling out your ID card for someone to inspect.
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.'
示 — altar 示 (二 + 小); originally 丅 with three strokes
示 is a pictograph of an ancient altar or sacrificial stand, with the top line representing heaven and the strokes below depicting offerings or hanging banners. It originally meant 'to show' something to the spirits, and by extension came to mean 'to show, display, or indicate' in general. As a radical, it appears in many characters related to ritual, worship, and divine matters.