反驳
fǎnbó · HSK 7
refute
🚫 FAN the BO-ld claim back — flip + strike down an argument
反 means flip/reverse, 驳 means refute or contradict. Together they form a verbal counter-attack: you flip someone's bold claim and strike it down. FAN-BO sounds like fanning away a bold assertion.
反 — hand 又 under cliff 厂
Originally a pictograph of a hand (又) turning something over against a cliff or slope (厂), depicting the action of flipping or reversing. From this came the core meaning 'to turn over,' which extended to 'opposite,' 'contrary,' and 'rebel against.' The character is purely semantic, with no phonetic component.