双
shuāng · HSK 3
pair
👯 双 = two 又 (hands) side by side — a pair
双 (shuāng) means pair/double, and is the measure word for things that come in twos: 一双鞋 (a pair of shoes), 一双筷子 (a pair of chopsticks). The character stacks two 又 (hand) radicals — literally two hands together.
双 — two 又 (right hands) side by side
Originally written 雙 with two 隹 (short-tailed birds) over 又 (hand), depicting a pair of birds held in one hand, hence 'pair' or 'two'. The modern simplified form 双 keeps just two 又 hands side by side as a visual shorthand for 'a pair'. Meaning broadened to 'double' or 'even-numbered'.