承受
chéngshòu · HSK 4
bear
🏋️ 承 = receive/bear + 受 = accept; together: bear and accept (a burden)
承 means to receive or carry; 受 means to accept or receive. The compound stacks two near-synonyms for receiving, intensifying the sense into bearing, enduring, or inheriting something heavy — a burden, pressure, or legacy.
受 — hand 爫 (top) + 冖 + hand 又 (bottom)
Originally a pictograph showing two hands passing an object (the middle 冖 represented a boat or tray) between them. It depicted the act of giving and receiving, so the character meant both 'to give' and 'to receive.' Later 授 was created with the hand radical 扌 to mean 'give,' leaving 受 to mean 'receive' or 'accept.'