搜救
soū jiù · HSK 7
rescue
🚁 搜 = search + 救 = rescue; the compound literally stacks both jobs into one word
搜 means to search or comb through, and 救 means to save or rescue. Put them back to back and you get search-and-rescue, the work of a 搜救队 (rescue team) after an earthquake or at sea.
搜 — hand radical 扌 + 叟 sǒu (old man)
A semantic-phonetic compound. The hand radical 扌 gives the meaning, indicating an action done with the hand, while 叟 supplies the sound. Originally meaning to grope or feel for something by hand, it extended to the modern sense of searching or seeking.
救 — 求 (seek/phonetic) + 攵 (strike/action)
A semantic-phonetic compound. The right side 攵 (a hand holding a stick) gives the action sense of intervening or stopping, while 求 supplies the sound 'jiu'. Originally meaning to halt or stop something bad, it extended to 'rescue, save, aid'.