拜会
bàihuì · HSK 7
pay sb. a visit
🚪🎩 BAI like bow + HUI like meeting — a formal bow-meeting visit
拜 means to bow or pay respects, 会 means to meet. Together they form a respectful, formal visit — you bow when you meet someone important. Think of it as a courtesy call with a polite greeting.
会 — 人 person on top + 云 cloud/say below (simplified from 會)
The traditional form 會 showed a lid over a vessel with contents stacked inside, depicting things coming together — hence 'meet, gather, assemble.' From 'gathering' it extended to 'meeting,' then 'understand' (minds meeting) and 'be able to.' The simplified 会 keeps only a schematic top and bottom.