杂交
zá jiāo · HSK 7
to crossbreed
🧬 杂 = mixed/miscellaneous + 交 = cross/exchange = crossbreed
杂 carries the sense of assorted or mixed-together; 交 means to cross or interchange. Mix plus cross gives the genetics sense: to hybridize or crossbreed two different stocks into one.
杂 — 九 (nine) + 木 (tree) — simplified from 雜
Simplified from 雜, which combined 衣 (clothing) with 集 (gather), suggesting clothes of mixed colors gathered together. The original sense was 'mixed, varied,' extended to 'miscellaneous' and 'jumbled.' Modern 杂 keeps the meaning but uses a simpler shape.
交 — top 亠 + 父-like crossed legs
Originally a pictograph of a person standing with legs crossed, showing the idea of crossing or intersecting. From this concrete image, the meaning extended to abstract senses like 'exchange,' 'interact,' and 'hand over.' Modern uses such as 交流 (exchange) and 交通 (traffic) all trace back to this core notion of crossing.