打印
dǎ yìn · HSK 2
to print
🖨️ 打 = hit/strike + 印 = seal/stamp; striking a seal onto paper = printing
打 means to hit or strike, and 印 means a seal or stamp. Together they describe the action of pressing a stamp onto paper, which extends to modern printing. The same 印 appears in 印章 (seal) and 印刷 (printing).
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'.
印 — hand 爪 (claw) + kneeling person 卩
Originally a pictograph showing a hand pressing down on a kneeling figure, depicting the act of stamping or sealing. The meaning extended from 'to press a seal' to the seal itself, and then to 'print' or 'imprint' in modern usage.