止
zhǐ · HSK 6
to stop; to prohibit
🦶 Originally a footprint — how you plant your feet shows your bearing
止 depicts a foot at rest. Your stance and stillness reveal composure. In 举止 (jǔzhǐ) it pairs with gesture to mean conduct or demeanor.
止 — pictograph of a foot/toe
止 originally depicted a human foot with toes, shown as a footprint on the ground. From this concrete image of a foot it came to mean 'to stop' or 'halt' — the place where a step ends. It also serves as a component in many characters relating to feet, walking, or stopping, such as 步 and 正.