喂养
wèi yǎng · HSK 7
to feed
🍼🐾 喂养 = 喂 feed + 养 raise; the 口 mouth radical in 喂 hints at putting food in a mouth
喂 carries the 口 (mouth) radical, tying it to giving food; 养 means to nourish or rear. Together they cover feeding a baby and raising or keeping an animal.
喂 — mouth 口 + wèi 畏 (phonetic)
喂 is a phono-semantic compound: 口 (mouth) gives the meaning, since the character relates to sounds made with the mouth, while 畏 supplies the pronunciation wèi. It is now used chiefly as the interjection 'hey' or telephone 'hello,' and also as the verb 'to feed.'
养 — sheep 羊 (top) + 八 over 艮-like base; simplified from 養 (食 + 羊)
The traditional form 養 combined 食 'food' with 羊 'sheep' as the phonetic, depicting the act of feeding sheep and, by extension, raising or nourishing living things. The simplified form 养 keeps 羊 on top but drops the 食 component. From 'feed' the meaning broadened to rear, support, and cultivate.