捐赠
juānzèng · HSK 6
donate
🎁 juān sounds like JUAN who donates + zèng means PRESENT/GIFT
捐 (juān) means to contribute or donate. 赠 (zèng) means to present as a gift. Together they double down: giving something away freely, like a charitable donation.
捐 — hand 扌 + 肙 (small worm, phonetic)
捐 is a semantic-phonetic compound: the hand radical 扌 suggests an action done by hand, while 肙 supplies the sound (juān). The original sense was 'to remove' or 'cast aside' by hand, which later extended to 'relinquish' and then 'donate' or 'contribute'.
赠 — shell radical 貝 + 曾 (phonetic)
A semantic-phonetic compound: 貝 (shell/money) signals the meaning, since shells were ancient currency, while 曾 supplies the sound. The original sense was to present a gift of value to someone, which broadened into the modern meaning 'to give as a present' or 'bestow'.