让步
ràng bù · HSK 7
to give in
🤝 让 (yield) + 步 (step) = yield a step = give ground, make a concession
让 means to let or yield; 步 means a step or pace. Yielding a step backward is exactly what a concession is: you give up ground so the other side can move forward. ràng bù.
让 — speech radical 讠(言) + 襄 (phonetic)
A semantic-phonetic compound: 讠(言) 'speech' suggests the meaning, while 襄 supplies the sound. The original sense involved blaming or reproaching with words, then shifted through 'yield in argument' to today's meanings of 'yield, allow, let' and 'cause (someone to do something).'
步 — two feet: 止 (foot) on top + 止 inverted below
Originally a pictograph showing two footprints, one above the other, representing the act of walking step by step. The top 止 is a left foot and the bottom is a right foot, capturing alternating strides. The meaning extended from 'step' to 'pace,' 'stage,' or 'walk.'