指责
zhǐzé · HSK 5
criticize
👉 指 = finger/point + 责 = blame; pointing the finger of blame
指 means finger or to point; 责 means responsibility or blame. Together: pointing at someone as responsible — censure or criticize. Sound zhǐzé rhymes loosely with 'shih-tzu' but the meaning is finger-of-blame.
指 — hand radical 扌 + 旨 (zhǐ, phonetic)
指 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The hand radical 扌 gives the meaning — something done with the hand, namely pointing with a finger. 旨 supplies the sound 'zhǐ'. From 'finger' it naturally extended to the verb 'to point' and figurative senses like 'to indicate' or 'to refer to'.