赞许
zàn xǔ · HSK 7
to praise
👍 赞 praise + 许 permit = give praise and approval; sounds like zahn-shyu
赞 (zàn) means to praise or approve; 许 (xǔ) means to allow or permit. Together the two approving verbs stack into formal approval: to laud someone's actions with a nod of permission.
许 — speech radical 讠 (言) + 午 (noon/phonetic)
许 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The 讠 (speech) radical signals a meaning tied to spoken acts, while 午 supplies the sound. Its core senses — to permit, promise, or praise — all stem from things granted through words.