抬
tái · HSK 5
lift
🙋 抬 = 扌(hand) + 台(platform): hands raise something onto a platform
The 扌 radical marks hand actions; 台 (tái) gives the sound and hints at a raised platform. Together: hands lifting something up — often two people carrying a heavy load together.
抬 — hand radical 扌 + 台 (tái, phonetic)
抬 is a phono-semantic compound. The hand radical 扌 signals an action done with the hands, while 台 (tái) supplies the sound. Together they convey 'to lift' or 'to raise with the hands,' a meaning that has stayed stable in modern Mandarin.