判定
pàn dìng · HSK 7
to judge
⚖️ 判 judge + 定 settle = a judgment that is decided and fixed
判 carries the knife radical 刂, the sense of cutting cases apart to tell right from wrong; 定 means to fix or settle. Together: a ruling that splits the matter and locks the verdict in place.
判 — half 半 (phonetic) + knife 刂 (semantic)
判 combines 半 'half' with 刂 'knife', literally suggesting cutting something in two. The knife radical gives the meaning of dividing or judging, while 半 provides the sound. From 'splitting apart' it extended to 'discriminate, judge, decide'.
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.'