手表
shǒubiǎo · HSK 2
wristwatch
⌚ 手表 = hand (手) + meter/gauge (表) → wrist meter = watch
手 means hand and 表 means meter, gauge, or surface display. Together they name the small gauge worn on the hand: a wristwatch. Compare 钟表 (clocks and watches) where 表 again signals the timepiece sense.
手 — pictograph of a hand with five fingers
手 is a pictograph showing an open hand with fingers and a wrist. Early bronze and oracle bone forms clearly depict five splayed fingers, which simplified over time into the modern shape. It keeps its original meaning of 'hand' and also serves as a radical in many characters related to hand actions.
表 — fur 毛 on top + garment 衣 below
Originally depicted an outer fur garment, with 毛 (fur) above 衣 (clothing), showing the hairy outside of a coat. From 'outer garment' it extended to mean 'outside, surface,' then 'to show, express, display,' and later 'table, chart' as something laid out on the surface.