表决
biǎojué · HSK 7
(decide by) vote
🗳️ 表 express + 决 decide — the group declares its choice aloud
表 means to express or show outwardly; 决 means to determine. Together they capture making a collective decision by each person openly expressing their stance.
表 — fur 毛 on top + garment 衣 below
Originally depicted an outer fur garment, with 毛 (fur) above 衣 (clothing), showing the hairy outside of a coat. From 'outer garment' it extended to mean 'outside, surface,' then 'to show, express, display,' and later 'table, chart' as something laid out on the surface.