孝敬
xiào jìng · HSK 7
to give presents
🧧🎁 孝 filial-duty + 敬 respect = honoring and providing for your elders
孝 means filial piety (devotion to parents); 敬 means to respect or revere. Together: showing that respect in action, including giving gifts to and supporting aging parents and superiors.
敬 — 苟 (gǒu, phonetic) + 攵 (tap/strike)
Originally depicted a person being urged or disciplined with a stick (攵), with 苟 providing the sound. The early sense was 'to warn' or 'to be on guard,' which extended to careful, attentive behavior. From there it shifted to 'respect' and 'reverence,' the modern meaning.