办法
bànfǎ · HSK 2
expedient
🛠️ 办 (handle) + 法 (method) = a way to handle things
办 means to handle or manage; 法 means method or law. Together they literally compose handle + method, giving the sense of a way, means, or solution to deal with something.
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.
法 — water 氵 + go 去
Originally written 灋, combining the water radical 氵 (suggesting a level standard, like water finding its level), the mythical beast 廌 (which judged guilt), and 去 (to remove or banish). The 廌 was later dropped, leaving 法. The core meaning evolved from 'law' or 'standard' to also include 'method' and 'way of doing'.