活该
huó gāi · HSK 7
deservedly
活 live + 该 ought = you live with what you ought to get — serves you right
该 on its own means ought to or deserve, so 活该 literally lands as live-deserve: the outcome is exactly what was coming to someone. Used as a tart you-asked-for-it remark.
活 — water radical 氵 + tongue 舌
Originally a phono-semantic compound: 氵 (water) suggests flowing or liveliness, while 舌 (tongue) hints at the sound. Early forms depicted gushing water, conveying the idea of being lively or alive. The meaning broadened from 'flowing water' to 'living, alive, active.'
该 — speech radical 訁/讠 + 亥 (hài, phonetic)
该 is a phono-semantic compound. The speech radical 讠 (言) hints at meaning related to words or speaking, while 亥 supplies the sound (close to 'hài/gāi'). Originally it meant 'to be complete' or 'to encompass,' and later shifted to mean 'ought to' or 'this/that' in modern usage.