掏钱
tāoqián · HSK 7
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💰 掏 fish-out + 钱 money = dig cash out of your pocket; the 扌hand radical does the pulling
掏 carries the 扌 hand radical plus 匋, so it means to dig or fish something out by hand; paired with 钱 (money) it is the act of reaching in and pulling cash out to hand over.
掏 — hand radical 扌 + 匋 (pottery/phonetic)
A semantic-phonetic compound: the hand radical 扌 gives the meaning of reaching or pulling out with the hand, while 匋 (tao) supplies the sound. Originally referring to scooping or digging things out, it extended to taking objects from a pocket, bag, or hole.
钱 — metal radical 钅 + 戋 (small/shallow)
Originally a name for a spade-shaped bronze tool used as early currency in ancient China. The metal radical 钅 gives the meaning (metal coin), while 戋 supplies the sound and hints at 'small, thin pieces.' Over time the meaning shifted from the spade-coin itself to money in general.