更改
gēnggǎi · HSK 7
to alter
🔄 更 (gèng/gēng = change/renew) + 改 (gǎi = alter/correct)
Both characters independently mean to change, stacked for emphasis. 更 carries the sense of renewal or replacement; 改 means to correct or revise. Together: to modify or alter something existing.
更 — 丙 (bǐng) phonetic + 攴/攵 (action/strike)
Originally an oracle-bone graph showing a hand striking a watch-drum to mark night watches, hence 'to change shifts.' From this came the meanings 'to change' and 'to replace' (gēng). The reading gèng later developed the sense 'further, even more,' as in 'one watch further on.'
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'.