折射
zhé shè · HSK 7
to reflect
🔦💎 折 bend + 射 shoot = a shot ray gets bent: refraction
折 means bend or break; 射 means shoot or emit (as of a ray of light). A light ray that gets bent as it shoots through water or glass is refraction. Figuratively, something that 'bends and shows' the true nature of a situation.
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).
射 — body 身 + inch/hand 寸
Originally a pictograph of a hand drawing a bow with an arrow. The ancient form showed 弓 (bow) plus 矢 (arrow) or a hand. Over time it was reshaped into 身 (body) plus 寸 (hand/measure), and the meaning 'to shoot' was extended to 'emit' or 'project'.