裁决
cái jué · HSK 7
adjudication
⚖️ CAI the judge cuts (JUE) the final ruling
裁 means to cut or tailor, 决 means to decide. Together they form a legal cutting-of-the-knot: the judge cuts through arguments to reach a decisive adjudication.
裁 — 戈 (halberd) + 𢦏 (phonetic, to cut)
裁 originally depicted cutting cloth with a blade, combining 衣 (clothing, embedded in the character) with 𢦏 as the phonetic component suggesting cutting. The core meaning 'to cut cloth' extended to tailoring, then broadly to 'judge, decide, reduce' — as in deciding by cutting away. Modern uses include 裁判 (judge) and 裁缝 (tailor).