服
fú , fù · HSK 6
clothes
👕 服 = 月 (body) + 卩 (kneel) + 又 (hand) — clothes wrap the body; serve = submit
Right side shows a hand pressing a kneeling figure into submission, hence to serve or obey. Left 月 (originally a boat, reanalyzed as body) anchors the clothing sense — garments that cover and submit to the body.
服 — 月 (moon/flesh) + 𠬝 (kneeling figure with hand)
Originally depicted a hand subduing a kneeling person beside a boat (later simplified to 月), suggesting submission or service. The meaning extended from 'submit/serve' to 'clothing' (what one wears in service) and 'to take' as in medicine. The phonetic role of 𠬝 helps fix the reading fú.