要求
yāoqiú · HSK 2
request
🙏 要 = want + 求 = seek → to want-and-seek = to request/demand
要 (yào) means 'to want' and 求 (qiú) means 'to seek/beg'. Together they form a compound meaning a formal request or demand — wanting something and actively seeking it.
要 — west 覀 (top) + woman 女 (bottom)
Originally a pictograph of a woman with hands on her waist, meaning 'waist' (the original form of 腰). The top 覀 is a stylized depiction of the waist area, not the character for 'west'. Over time it was borrowed for the meaning 'to want, important', so 腰 (with 月 flesh radical) was created for the original 'waist' sense.
求 — pictograph of a fur garment
求 originally depicted a fur coat or pelt, with hairs hanging from the sides. It was later borrowed phonetically to mean 'seek' or 'request,' and the original 'fur' meaning was taken over by 裘. Today 求 almost always means to seek, beg, or pursue.