打倒
dǎ dǎo · HSK 7
to knock down
👊⬇️ dǎ = hit/strike + dǎo = topple — strike it down
The first character 打 means to hit or strike. The second 倒 means to fall or topple. Together they form overthrow — literally strike until it falls. Used as a slogan: Down with ...!
打 — hand radical 扌 + nail 丁
打 combines the hand radical 扌 (action with the hand) with 丁 (originally a nail), suggesting striking or hitting with the hand. 丁 also serves as a phonetic hint in older readings. The meaning broadened from 'to strike' to a general verb for many hand-based actions, like 打电话 'make a phone call'.
倒 — person radical 亻 + 到 (to arrive)
倒 is a semantic-phonetic compound: the person radical 亻 gives meaning (an action done by/to a person), while 到 supplies the sound 'dào'. Originally meaning 'to fall over' (a person toppling), it extended to 'invert, upside down, pour out', as when something falls and spills.