攻击
gōngjí · HSK 6
attack
⚔️ 攻击 = 攻 (attack) + 击 (strike/hit)
攻 means to attack or assault; 击 means to strike or hit. Together they form a compound meaning attack or assault, also used figuratively for verbal attacks like accusing or vilifying.
攻 — 工 (gōng, phonetic) + 攵 (strike/action)
A semantic-phonetic compound: 攵 (a hand holding a stick) gives the meaning of striking or attacking, while 工 supplies the sound. Originally meaning to attack militarily, it later extended to 'work on' or 'study intensively,' as in 攻读.