负责人
fùzérén · HSK 5
person in charge
💼 负责人 = bear + responsibility + person
负 means to bear or shoulder, 责 means responsibility or duty, and 人 means person. So 负责人 literally reads as the person who shoulders the duty — the one in charge or accountable for something.
负 — person 𠂉 (人) on top + cowrie shell 贝
Originally depicted a person carrying cowrie shells (money), showing someone bearing a load or owing wealth. From this came the meanings 'to carry on the back,' 'to bear a burden,' and by extension 'to owe' or 'negative.' The simplified form 负 keeps 贝 (shell/money) under a person.
人 — pictograph of a standing person
人 is a pictograph showing a person viewed from the side, with two strokes representing the legs and torso of a standing human. In oracle bone script it clearly depicted a figure leaning slightly forward. The meaning has remained 'person' or 'human' throughout its history.