揣测
chuǎi cè · HSK 7
to guess
🔮 hand-feel (揣) + measure (测) = an educated guess
揣 originally meant to hold and weigh something in your palm, estimating heft. 测 means to measure or test. Together they describe forming a guess without solid proof — just feeling it out.
揣 — hand 扌 + 端 (duān) phonetic
A phono-semantic compound. The hand radical 扌 indicates the meaning, since the original sense involves carrying something tucked inside one's clothes. The right side 耑 (related to 端) supplies the sound. The meaning later extended to 'estimate' or 'guess' (chuǎi), as in weighing something by feel.
测 — water radical 氵 + 则 (rule/standard)
测 combines the water radical 氵, hinting at meaning, with 则 (rule, standard), which also supplies the sound. Originally it referred to gauging the depth of water, then broadened to mean measuring, surveying, or testing in general.