待遇
dàiyū · HSK 4
treatment (salary/etc.)
💰 待 = wait/treat + 遇 = encounter; how one is treated upon encounter
待 carries the sense of treating or receiving someone, and 遇 means to meet or encounter. Together they form the treatment or conditions (pay, benefits) one receives in a job or situation.
待 — chì 彳 (step) + 寺 sì (temple/phonetic)
待 combines the 'step' radical 彳, suggesting movement or a path, with 寺, which serves as the phonetic component. Originally it conveyed the idea of stopping along a road, which extended to 'waiting.' Over time it also took on related meanings like 'to treat' or 'to deal with' someone.
遇 — 辶 (walk radical) + 禺 (phonetic, monkey)
遇 is a phono-semantic compound. The walking radical 辶 supplies the meaning of going or moving along a road, while 禺 (an old word depicting a monkey-like creature) provides the sound. Together they evoke encountering someone while traveling, giving the modern senses 'meet,' 'come across,' or 'treat.'