印证
yìnzhèng · HSK 7
confirm
🔖 印证 = 印 seal/stamp + 证 proof, so to stamp something as proven = confirm it
印 is a seal or stamp, 证 is proof or evidence. When two pieces of evidence stamp each other as true, you have 印证: cross-checking facts so each one verifies the other.
印 — hand 爪 (claw) + kneeling person 卩
Originally a pictograph showing a hand pressing down on a kneeling figure, depicting the act of stamping or sealing. The meaning extended from 'to press a seal' to the seal itself, and then to 'print' or 'imprint' in modern usage.
证 — speech radical 讠 + 正 (correct/upright)
证 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The speech radical 讠 (言) signals it relates to words or testimony, while 正 (zhèng, 'upright/correct') gives the sound and hints at 'verifying truth.' Originally written 證, it meant to testify or prove; today it means evidence, certificate, or to prove.