立足
lì zú · HSK 7
to have a footing
🦶 立足 = 立 (stand) + 足 (foot): to stand on your own feet, to have a footing
The two characters stack literally: 立 is to stand upright, 足 is foot. Together they mean to plant your feet somewhere and be established, or to base yourself on something as a starting point.
立 — person standing on ground (大 over 一)
Pictograph of a person standing with arms outstretched on the ground line below. The original oracle bone form clearly shows a frontal human figure planted on the earth. The core meaning 'to stand' extended to 'establish, set up, erect.'
足 — top 口 (mouth/enclosure) + bottom 止 (foot)
Originally a pictograph of a leg and foot, with the upper square representing the knee or shin and the lower part 止 depicting the foot itself. It primarily means 'foot' and by extension 'sufficient' or 'enough,' a meaning shift likely from the idea of standing firmly or having a solid footing.