支票
zhī piào · HSK 7
check
🧾 支 pay-out + 票 paper-note = a paper note that pays out money: a cheque
支 means to pay out or disburse; 票 is a ticket or written note (same 票 as in 机票 plane ticket, 票房 box office). Put together, 支票 is the written note you hand over to pay out funds from a bank account.
支 — hand 又 holding a branch 十
Originally a pictograph showing a hand (又) holding a branch broken from a tree, depicting the act of supporting or propping something up. From this came meanings like 'branch,' 'to support,' and 'to pay out.' It also serves as a phonetic component in characters like 枝 (branch) and 技 (skill).
票 — fire 火 (bottom) + 覀 (cover/west)
Originally written with 火 (fire) below 覀, depicting sparks or embers rising from a fire. The early meaning was 'flying sparks' or 'light, floating thing.' Over time it shifted to mean a slip of paper, ticket, or note — something light and easily passed around.