扫描
sǎomiáo · HSK 7
scan
📠 扫描 = 扫 sweep + 描 trace; a scanner sweeps a beam that traces the page
扫 means sweep (as with a broom) and 描 means to trace or outline. A scan sweeps across something while tracing its detail, which is exactly what a scanner does line by line.
扫 — hand radical 扌 + broom 帚
A semantic compound: the hand radical 扌 shows the action, while 帚 (broom) gives both the meaning and an approximate sound. The original picture of 帚 depicts a broom held upright, so 扫 literally means 'to wield a broom,' i.e. to sweep.