拖延
tuōyán · HSK 7
delay
🐌 拖 drag + 延 prolong = drag it out and stretch the time = delay, put off
拖 means to drag or haul (note the hand radical 扌), and 延 means to extend or prolong. Together they describe dragging a task out and stretching the time until it is done — to delay or procrastinate.
拖 — hand radical 扌 + 它 (tā, phonetic)
A semantic-phonetic compound. The hand radical 扌 carries the meaning, indicating an action done with the hand—pulling or dragging. The right side 它 (originally depicting a snake) supplies the sound. Together 拖 came to mean 'to drag, pull, or haul.'
延 — 廴 (long stride) + 㥯/丿 + 止 (foot)
延 originally depicted a foot (止) on a road or path (廴), suggesting walking a long way. From this came the meanings 'to extend,' 'to prolong,' and 'to delay.' The modern form retains 廴 on the left as the semantic clue for movement and extension.