求助
qiúzhù · HSK 7
seek help
🆘 求助 = 求 (seek) + 助 (help) = seek help
求 means to seek or beg for; 助 means to help or aid. Stuck together they literally read seek-help, which is exactly asking someone for assistance.
求 — pictograph of a fur garment
求 originally depicted a fur coat or pelt, with hairs hanging from the sides. It was later borrowed phonetically to mean 'seek' or 'request,' and the original 'fur' meaning was taken over by 裘. Today 求 almost always means to seek, beg, or pursue.