劫持
jié chí · HSK 7
to kidnap
🔫 劫 rob + 持 hold = to seize and hold someone by force
劫 means to rob or coerce; 持 means to hold or grasp. Together they mean holding a person or vehicle under duress, the core of kidnapping and hijacking. The chí here is the same hold as in 持有 (to possess).
劫 — 去 (qù, phonetic) + 力 (lì, strength)
劫 combines 去 'to go/remove' as the phonetic component with 力 'strength/force' as the semantic component. The original meaning is to take by force, hence 'rob' or 'plunder.' It later extended to mean 'calamity' or 'disaster,' and in Buddhist texts it transliterates the Sanskrit word 'kalpa,' a vast cosmic age.
持 — hand 扌 + temple 寺 (phonetic)
持 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The hand radical 扌 carries the meaning 'to hold' or 'grasp', while 寺 supplies the sound (it once read close to chí). Originally depicting a hand holding something firmly, it broadened to mean 'maintain', 'support', or 'keep' over time.