牵制
qiān zhì · HSK 7
to restrict
🪢 牵 (pull by a tether) + 制 (control) = tug something back to keep it in check
牵 is leading an animal by a rope; 制 means to control or curb. Together they mean tying down an opponent's freedom — pinning them so they can't act freely, hence to restrain, curb, or hold in check.
牵 — top 玄 (cord) + middle 冖 (cover) + bottom 牛 (ox)
Originally depicts leading an ox by a rope: 牛 (ox) below, with 玄 (a twisted cord) above suggesting the rope used to pull it. The 冖 element represents a tether or harness. The core meaning 'to pull, lead by a rope' extends figuratively to 'involve' or 'concern'.
制 — knife 刂 + 未 (tree branches)
Originally depicted a knife 刂 cutting branches from a tree, showing the act of trimming or shaping wood. From this concrete sense of cutting to size came the meanings 'to make,' 'to manufacture,' and by extension 'to control' or 'regulate' — shaping things to a desired form.