到处
dàochù · HSK 2
everywhere
🌍 到 (arrive) + 处 (place) = arrive-at-every-place, i.e. everywhere
到 means to arrive or reach; 处 means a place or location. Together 到处 literally reads as reach-place, extended to mean every place one reaches — universally, everywhere. Common in phrases like 到处都是 (it's everywhere).
到 — 刂 knife + 至 (phonetic, 'arrive')
到 is a semantic-phonetic compound. 至 ('to arrive') gives both meaning and sound, while 刂 (knife) was added later, likely as a phonetic reinforcer or to distinguish the written form. The core sense 'to arrive, reach' comes directly from 至, and 到 has carried that meaning since early script forms.
处 — 夂 (foot) + 几 (low table/stool)
Originally depicted a person stopping (夂, an inverted foot) beside a stool (几), suggesting someone settling down in a place. From 'to dwell/stay' the meaning broadened to 'place, location' (chù) and 'to handle, deal with' (chǔ). The simplified form drops the older 虍 top found in 處.