继
jì · HSK 7
afterwards
🧵 纟 silk radical = continue the thread; jì carries on, then comes next
继 pairs the silk radical 纟 with a component meaning joined threads, so the core idea is splicing one strand onto another to keep it going. From continue comes the sense of then or afterwards: what follows next in the line.
继 — silk radical 糹 + 㡭 (continuous threads)
继 means 'to continue' or 'succeed (to)'. The silk radical 糹 evokes threads being joined, while the right side 㡭 originally depicted unbroken strands of silk. Together they suggest splicing threads — extending what came before, hence inheriting or carrying on.