改装
gǎi zhuāng · HSK 6
to remodel
🔧 改 = change/alter + 装 = clothing/outfit → change one's costume; remodel
改 means to change or revise; 装 means clothing, dress, or to install. Together: change the outer dress — used for swapping costumes, repackaging products, or refitting a machine's exterior.
改 — 己 (self) + 攴/攵 (action/strike)
改 is a compound of 己 'self' and 攵 (the action radical, originally a hand holding a stick). The image is of striking or applying force to oneself or one's situation, suggesting reform or correction. From this came the modern meaning 'to change, alter, correct'.
装 — clothes 衣 + strong 壮 (phonetic)
装 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The bottom 衣 ('clothes') gives the meaning, since the original sense was packing or dressing—putting clothes or goods into a bundle. The top 壮 supplies the sound. Meanings extended from 'to dress/attire' to 'to load, install, pretend'.