折
zhé · HSK 4
to break
✋🪓 hand 扌 + axe 斤 = to break or snap
折 combines the hand radical 扌 with 斤 (axe), giving the sense of chopping or snapping something in two. From there it extends to bending, folding, and also discount (a 'cut' off the price).
折 — hand 扌 + axe 斤
Originally written as 折 with a hand (扌) breaking or chopping something with an axe (斤), depicting the act of snapping or cutting in two. The core meaning 'to break, snap, fold' extends metaphorically to 'bend,' 'turn back,' and 'discount' (as in reducing a price by breaking off part).