获取
huò qǔ · HSK 4
to get
🎯 获 = catch/obtain + 取 = take; both halves mean 'get'
获 originally meant catching prey (hunt radical 犭on the left); 取 shows a hand 又 grabbing an ear 耳, an ancient tally of captured enemies. Stacked together, the compound doubles down on the sense of seizing or acquiring.
获 — dog radical 犭 + 蒦 (phonetic, grasp)
获 originally depicted catching a bird by hand, with 蒦 showing a hand grasping a bird. The dog radical 犭 was added to mean catching prey while hunting. In modern simplified Chinese, 获 also absorbed 穫 (harvesting grain), so it now covers both 'catch/obtain' and 'reap'.
取 — ear 耳 + hand 又
取 originally depicted a hand (又) grasping an ear (耳), referencing the ancient practice of soldiers cutting off enemies' left ears as proof of kills to claim rewards. The meaning broadened from 'seize/take by force' to the general sense of 'take, get, obtain' used today.