引经据典
yǐn jīng jù diǎn · HSK 7
classic
📖 引(cite)+经(classics)+据(draw on)+典(canon) = cite the classics, draw on the canon
引 — bow 弓 + vertical stroke 丨
A compound ideograph showing a bow 弓 with a vertical line 丨 representing the drawn bowstring. The original meaning was 'to draw a bow,' which extended to 'pull,' 'lead,' 'guide,' and 'cite.' The vertical stroke depicts the action of pulling the string back.
经 — silk radical 纟 + 巠 (underground stream)
Originally written 經, combining the silk radical 糸 with 巠, depicting vertical threads on a loom. The core meaning was 'warp threads,' which extended to 'pass through,' 'classic text,' and 'manage.' The phonetic 巠 also suggests the sound.
据 — hand radical 扌 + 豦
据 combines the hand radical 扌 with the phonetic component 豦. Originally meaning to seize or grasp with the hand, it later extended to 'rely on' or 'according to.' In modern simplified Chinese, 据 also serves as the simplified form of 據, merging the two characters' meanings.