开支
kāi zhī · HSK 7
expenses
💸 开支 = 开 open + 支 pay-out; opening the wallet to pay out = expenses
支 means to pay out or disburse (also a branch/limb). 开支 literally opens the spending: the money that goes out as expenditures.
开 — two hands 廾 + door 门 (open gate)
Originally written 開, showing two hands (廾) lifting the bar (一) off a gate (門) to open it. The simplified form 开 keeps the two-hands element and drops the gate. Core meaning 'to open' extended to 'start, operate, bloom'.
支 — hand 又 holding a branch 十
Originally a pictograph showing a hand (又) holding a branch broken from a tree, depicting the act of supporting or propping something up. From this came meanings like 'branch,' 'to support,' and 'to pay out.' It also serves as a phonetic component in characters like 枝 (branch) and 技 (skill).