考虑
kǎolù · HSK 4
consider
🤔 考 = test/examine + 虑 = worry/think — examine-and-ponder = consider
考 means to examine or test (as in 考试 exam), and 虑 means to worry or ponder. Together 考虑 is to examine-and-ponder a matter — to think it over carefully before deciding.
考 — old 老 (top) + 丂 phonetic
Originally written like 老 ('old'), 考 depicted an elderly person with long hair leaning on a cane, and the two characters were once interchangeable. Over time 考 specialized to mean 'deceased father' and later 'to examine, test, investigate,' with the bottom 丂 hinting at the sound.