研制
yán zhì · HSK 4
to develop
🔬⚙️ 研 = research/grind + 制 = manufacture → develop by R&D
研 means to grind or research (stone radical 石 + 开); 制 means to make or manufacture. Together they mean to develop something through research — typically used for engineering new products, medicines, or technology.
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.