打官司
dǎ guān si · HSK 6
to file a lawsuit
⚖️ 打 hit + 官司 official-matter = wage a court case
打 means to hit or wage; 官 is official/government and 司 is to manage or take charge. Together 官司 names an official dispute, and 打官司 literally means to wage one — i.e. to file or fight a lawsuit.
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'.
官 — roof 宀 + mound/many 㠯
Originally a pictograph showing a building (roof 宀) over stacked mounds or seats (㠯), depicting an official residence or government office. The meaning extended from the building itself to the officials who worked there, and then broadly to 'official' or 'government.'