赛跑
sài pǎo · HSK 7
race
🏃 赛跑 = 赛 compete + 跑 run, so a running contest
赛 (sài) means competition or match; 跑 (pǎo) means to run. Together they name a running race. The 贝 shell radical in 赛 hints at prizes or stakes, the kind you compete for.
赛 — roof 宀 + 共 (together) + shell 貝
赛 originally meant offering thanks or recompense to spirits, written with 貝 (cowrie/money) suggesting tribute or payment. The upper part acts as the phonetic component. Over time the meaning shifted from ritual repayment to 'compete' or 'contest,' as in matches between rivals.
跑 — foot 足 + wrap 包
A semantic-phonetic compound. The foot radical 足 gives the meaning (an action done with the feet), while 包 (bāo) hints at the sound, shifted to pǎo. Originally it could mean an animal pawing the ground, later generalizing to 'run'.