接受
jiēshòu · HSK 2
to accept (a suggestion, punishment, bribe etc); to acquiesce
🤝 接受 = 接 (receive/connect) + 受 (accept/bear)
接 means to receive or connect (think 'connect a call'), and 受 means to accept or bear. Together 接受 is the formal verb for accepting or receiving something offered — an apology, a gift, a job offer.
接 — hand 扌 + concubine 妾 (phonetic)
接 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The hand radical 扌 carries the meaning of receiving or joining with the hand, while 妾 supplies the sound. From 'taking with the hand' it broadened to 'receive, meet, connect, join together'.
受 — hand 爫 (top) + 冖 + hand 又 (bottom)
Originally a pictograph showing two hands passing an object (the middle 冖 represented a boat or tray) between them. It depicted the act of giving and receiving, so the character meant both 'to give' and 'to receive.' Later 授 was created with the hand radical 扌 to mean 'give,' leaving 受 to mean 'receive' or 'accept.'