折磨
zhé mó · HSK 7
to torment
👹⛓️ 折 zhé = to break/snap + 磨 mó = to grind; to break-and-grind someone = torment
折 means snap or break, 磨 means grind or mill (as in 磨 grinding grain). Together: to break and grind a person down repeatedly — relentless persecution and torment. The mó here is the same grind as in 磨练 to hone through hardship.
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).
磨 — stone 石 + hemp 麻 (phonetic)
A semantic-phonetic compound: 石 'stone' gives the meaning (grinding involves stones), while 麻 'hemp' supplies the sound. Originally referred to a millstone or the act of grinding grain, later extending to 'rub, polish, wear down' and figuratively 'to torment' or 'waste time'.