担子
dàn zi · HSK 7
burden
🎋 担 = hand radical + dawn — carrying loads since dawn
The character 担 combines the hand radical 扌 with 旦 (dawn/daybreak). A carrying pole is something you hoist at first light to haul goods to market. 担子 extends to any burden or responsibility you shoulder.
担 — hand radical 扌 + 詹 (zhān, phonetic)
担 is a semantic-phonetic compound: 扌 (hand) gives the meaning of carrying or shouldering, while 詹 supplies the sound. Originally written 擔, it depicted bearing a load on a shoulder pole; 担 is the simplified form. Meanings extended from physical carrying to bearing responsibility.
子 — pictograph of a baby/child with arms out
子 began as a pictograph of a swaddled infant with a large head and outstretched arms, originally meaning 'baby' or 'child.' From there it broadened to 'son,' 'offspring,' and a respectful suffix for masters like 孔子 (Confucius). It also became one of the twelve earthly branches.