截
jié · HSK 7
to stop
✂️ has the 戈 blade on the right: to cut off a length, hence one section
As a measure word it counts sections of long things: 一截绳子 = one length of rope, 一截木头 = one chunk of wood. Core sense is to cut or sever, so a 截 is the piece left after the cut.
截 — semantic 戈 (halberd) + phonetic 雀 (sparrow, simplified to 隹 above 土)
截 originally depicts cutting with a dagger-axe (戈), giving the core meaning 'to cut off' or 'sever.' The 戈 component carries the meaning while the rest of the character supplies the sound. Over time it broadened to include senses like 'intercept,' 'block,' or 'a section/length' of something.