衔接
xián jiē · HSK 7
to join together
🔗 衔 (a horse's bit, the link in its mouth) + 接 (connect) = link two things up
衔 originally named the metal bit that joins rein to horse; 接 means to connect or join. Put together, 衔接 is about making two parts meet and run on smoothly, like one stage handing off to the next.
接 — hand 扌 + concubine 妾 (phonetic)
接 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The hand radical 扌 carries the meaning of receiving or joining with the hand, while 妾 supplies the sound. From 'taking with the hand' it broadened to 'receive, meet, connect, join together'.