演出
yǎnchū · HSK 3
perform
🎭 演出 = perform (演) + come out (出); literally 'perform-out' = a show
演 means to act or perform; 出 means to come out or go forth. Together 演出 is a performance brought out before an audience — a show or live act. Compare 出场 (come on stage) and 表演 (to perform).
演 — water 氵 + 寅 (yín, phonetic)
演 is a semantic-phonetic compound: the water radical 氵 gives the meaning, originally referring to water flowing far and spreading out, while 寅 supplies the sound. From 'water extending' it broadened to 'develop, elaborate, perform,' as in unfolding a story or acting out a play.
出 — foot 止 emerging from enclosure 凵
出 is a pictograph showing a foot or plant stepping out of a hollow or enclosure, depicting the act of going forth. The original sense of 'coming out' or 'emerging' has remained stable since oracle bone script. It now broadly means 'to exit, go out, or produce.'