抵押
dǐ yā · HSK 7
to provide as security for a loan
🏠🔒 dǐ = resist/push against + yā = press down — your asset is pressed down as security
The first character 抵 means to resist or push against, while 押 means to press or detain. Together they describe an asset being held down — detained by the lender until the loan is repaid.
押 — hand radical 扌 + 甲 (jiǎ, phonetic)
押 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The hand radical 扌 supplies the meaning of pressing or holding down with the hand, while 甲 gives the sound. From the literal sense of pressing, it extended to signing/sealing documents, mortgaging, and detaining — all involving an authoritative 'pressing' action.