计策
jì cè · HSK 7
stratagem
♟️ 计 (plan, as in 计算 calculate) + 策 (scheme/policy) = a calculated scheme: a stratagem
Both characters mean plan or scheme, so 计策 doubles up on the idea: a deliberate, worked-out plan to outwit someone. 策 is the same character used in 政策 (policy) and 对策 (countermeasure), all about devised courses of action.
计 — speech radical 讠 (言) + ten 十
计 is a semantic compound: 言 'speech/words' plus 十 'ten', suggesting counting or reckoning aloud. The original sense was to calculate or tally numbers, which extended to 'plan, scheme, plot' — any kind of mental reckoning. Modern uses like 计算 (calculate) and 计划 (plan) preserve both threads.