宰
zǎi · HSK 7
to slaughter livestock
🔪 宰 = roof 宀 + 辛 blade: the house steward who wields the knife to slaughter and rule
Under one roof 宀 sits 辛, a cutting tool. The 宰 was the official who ran the household slaughter, then by extension governed it. The cheat sense survives in 宰客, slaughter the guest, meaning to rip a customer off.
宰 — roof 宀 + 辛 (knife/blade)
宰 originally depicted a knife (辛) under a roof (宀), showing a servant or official who slaughtered animals for sacrifice in the household. From this it came to mean 'butcher,' then broadened to 'one who manages affairs,' yielding the modern senses 'to slaughter' and 'to govern/preside over.'