补习
bǔxí · HSK 6
take lessons after school/work
📚 补 (mend/supplement) + 习 (practice/study) = supplementary study
补 means to patch or supplement (think of patching holes in knowledge); 习 means to practice or study. Together: extra study sessions outside regular school — tutoring or cram school.
补 — clothes radical 衤 + 甫 (phonetic)
补 is a phono-semantic compound. The left side 衤 (clothes radical) gives the meaning, originally referring to patching or mending clothes. The right side 甫 supplies the sound. From 'mend a garment' the meaning broadened to 'repair, supplement, make up for'.