勾画
goū huà · HSK 7
to sketch out
✏️ 勾画 = 勾 hook/outline + 画 draw/paint
勾 means to hook or outline (think of a check-mark stroke catching the shape), and 画 means to draw or paint. Together they mean to sketch the outline of something — to delineate its form in rough strokes.
勾 — 勹 wrap + 厶 private/small
勾 originally depicted a hook or curved shape, derived from 句 (which itself shows something bent or curved). The 勹 component suggests wrapping or enclosing, while 厶 adds the curved interior. Over time it came to mean 'hook,' 'to hook,' or 'to entice.'
画 — hand 一 + field 田 + frame 凵
Originally a pictograph of a hand holding a brush drawing boundaries around a field, depicting the act of marking out land. The top once showed a brush (聿), and 田 represents the field being divided. Over time it came to mean 'to draw, paint' and also 'a stroke' in characters.