挨打
ái dǎ · HSK 6
to take a beating
👊 挨 (suffer) + 打 (hit) = suffer a hit, take a beating
挨 means to suffer or endure something unpleasant; 打 is to hit or strike. Together they mean to be on the receiving end of a beating. The same 挨 shows up in 挨骂 (to get scolded) and 挨饿 (to suffer hunger).
挨 — hand radical 扌 + 矣 (phonetic)
挨 is a phonetic-semantic compound: the hand radical 扌 signals a meaning related to physical contact, while 矣 supplies the sound. It originally meant to push or strike with the hand, then broadened to 'lean against' and 'be next to' (āi), and later extended to 'suffer' or 'endure' a blow (ái).
打 — hand radical 扌 + nail 丁
打 combines the hand radical 扌 (action with the hand) with 丁 (originally a nail), suggesting striking or hitting with the hand. 丁 also serves as a phonetic hint in older readings. The meaning broadened from 'to strike' to a general verb for many hand-based actions, like 打电话 'make a phone call'.