补偿
bǔcháng · HSK 5
make up
💰 补 = mend/patch + 偿 = repay; together: patch up by repaying
补 means to mend or patch (think 补丁 = a patch). 偿 means to repay or compensate. Combined, 补偿 is the formal word for making someone whole after a loss — financial compensation, damages, or recompense.
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'.