解
jiě · HSK 6
separate
✂️ knife + ox + horn = taking a bull apart piece by piece
The character combines 角 (horn), 刀 (knife), and 牛 (ox). A knife separates the horn from the ox — cutting apart, dividing, untying.
解 — horn 角 + knife 刀 + ox 牛
解 is an ideograph showing hands using a knife (刀) to separate the horn (角) from an ox (牛). The original meaning was to butcher or dismember an ox, which broadened to 'untie, separate, loosen,' and then extended figuratively to 'explain' or 'understand'—to take something apart mentally.