找出
zhǎochū · HSK 2
find
🔍 找出 = 找 (search) + 出 (out) — search-out, i.e. find/unearth
找 means to look for; 出 means out or to come forth. Together 找出 is literally search-out: to track something down and bring it to light. Parallels English rout out and ferret out.
找 — hand radical 扌 + dagger-axe 戈
Originally a phono-semantic compound: the hand radical 扌 suggests the action, while 戈 (a halberd) hints at the sound. The early sense related to handling or seeking with the hand, which broadened over time to mean 'to look for' and later 'to give change' in commercial use.
出 — foot 止 emerging from enclosure 凵
出 is a pictograph showing a foot or plant stepping out of a hollow or enclosure, depicting the act of going forth. The original sense of 'coming out' or 'emerging' has remained stable since oracle bone script. It now broadly means 'to exit, go out, or produce.'