携手
xié shoǔ · HSK 7
to collaborate
🤝 携 carry/take-along + 手 hand = take someone by the hand, join hands to collaborate
携手 literally pairs 携 (to take along, lead by hand) with 手 (hand). Together they mean two parties moving forward linked by the hand, hence the figurative sense of teaming up or collaborating.
手 — pictograph of a hand with five fingers
手 is a pictograph showing an open hand with fingers and a wrist. Early bronze and oracle bone forms clearly depict five splayed fingers, which simplified over time into the modern shape. It keeps its original meaning of 'hand' and also serves as a radical in many characters related to hand actions.