摇摆
yáo bǎi · HSK 7
to sway
🎐 摇 shake + 摆 swing = to sway back and forth
Both characters carry motion: 摇 means to shake or wave, 摆 means to swing or rock. Doubled up, 摇摆 is steady side-to-side movement, and figuratively to waver or be undecided.
摇 — hand 扌 + 䍃 (phonetic, jar/pottery)
A semantic-phonetic compound: the hand radical 扌 gives the meaning of physical motion, while 䍃 (depicting a hand over a jar) supplies the sound. The original sense was to shake or sway something with the hand, later broadened to any swinging or rocking motion.
摆 — hand radical 扌 + 罢 bà (phonetic)
摆 is a semantic-phonetic compound: the hand radical 扌 signals an action done with the hands, while 罢 supplies the sound (bà → bǎi). The original sense was to arrange or set things out by hand, which extended to swinging, swaying, and displaying. The simplified form 摆 replaces traditional 擺.