探求
tàn qiú · HSK 7
to seek
🔦 探 probe/explore + 求 seek = to probe-and-seek, to investigate
探 carries the sense of reaching a hand out to feel around (the 扌 hand radical), and 求 means to seek or request. Together: to actively probe and seek after something, to investigate.
探 — hand radical 扌 + 罙 (depth/cave)
探 combines the hand radical 扌 with 罙, which depicts a hand reaching into a cave or deep place. The original sense was reaching in to feel for or retrieve something hidden, which extended to 'probe,' 'search,' and 'explore.' 罙 also hints at the sound.
求 — pictograph of a fur garment
求 originally depicted a fur coat or pelt, with hairs hanging from the sides. It was later borrowed phonetically to mean 'seek' or 'request,' and the original 'fur' meaning was taken over by 裘. Today 求 almost always means to seek, beg, or pursue.