据
jù · HSK 6
according to
📜 jù sounds like juror — who rules according to evidence
A juror bases their verdict on the grounds of what they hear. 据 works the same way: according to X, on the grounds of Y. The hand radical (扌) hints at holding onto proof.
据 — hand radical 扌 + 豦
据 combines the hand radical 扌 with the phonetic component 豦. Originally meaning to seize or grasp with the hand, it later extended to 'rely on' or 'according to.' In modern simplified Chinese, 据 also serves as the simplified form of 據, merging the two characters' meanings.