把关
bǎ guān · HSK 7
to check on sth
🛡️🚧 bǎ = hold + guān = gate — hold the gate, guard the checkpoint
把 means to hold or grasp, 关 means gate or pass. Together: to hold the gate — standing at a checkpoint and controlling what gets through. Extended meaning: to quality-check something before it passes.
把 — hand radical 扌 + 巴 (phonetic)
把 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The hand radical 扌 gives the meaning 'to grasp or hold,' while 巴 supplies the sound. Originally meaning 'to grip with the hand,' it later extended to a noun ('handle') and a grammatical particle that fronts the object of a verb.
关 — door 门 + simplified 关 inside
关 is the simplified form of 關. The traditional character showed a gate (門) with a bolt or crossbar inside, depicting a barred door — hence 'to close' or 'shut'. Meaning later extended to 'pass' (a guarded gate), 'barrier', and figuratively 'concern' or 'connection'.