办公
bàngōng · HSK 6
work
🏢 办 (handle) + 公 (public/official) = handle official matters
办 means to handle or manage; 公 means public or official affairs. Together 办公 literally decomposes to handling public/official business — hence working in an office.
办 — 力 (strength) flanked by two 丶 dots
办 is the simplified form of 辦, which combined 力 (strength/effort) with 辡 (two 辛 'criminals/disputes') to mean 'to manage or handle a dispute'. The simplified shape keeps 力 in the center and reduces the surrounding element to two small dots, preserving the sense of 'doing' or 'handling' something.
公 — eight 八 + private 厶
Originally an ideograph showing 八 (to divide) over 厶 (private/self), depicting the act of splitting away from selfish interest. The combination came to mean 'public' or 'fair,' the opposite of private. It later extended to senses like 'duke,' 'lord,' and 'grandfather.'