按
àn · HSK 3
according to
✋ 按 = 扌(hand) + 安 (peace/press) — hand pressing down 'according to' plan
The hand radical 扌 plus 安 (peace, settle) gives 按: to press, push down, or act 'in accordance with'. Think of a hand settling onto something, fixing it to a rule or standard.
按 — hand radical 扌 + 安 (peace)
A semantic-phonetic compound. The hand radical 扌 gives the meaning, indicating an action done with the hand, while 安 (ān, peace) supplies the sound. The original sense was to press down with the hand, which extended to meanings like 'to push,' 'to restrain,' and figuratively 'according to.'