迟到
chídào · HSK 4
be late
⏰ 迟 = late + 到 = arrive → arrive late
迟 means slow or late (the 辶 walk radical + 尺 phonetic). 到 means to arrive. Together: arrival that is late — tardy.
迟 — walk radical 辶 + sheep 羊 (phonetic)
迟 combines the walking radical 辶 with 羊 (sheep) as a phonetic clue. The original form depicted slow, lingering movement, giving the core meaning of 'late' or 'slow'. Over time it broadened to cover tardiness in time as well as physical slowness.
到 — 刂 knife + 至 (phonetic, 'arrive')
到 is a semantic-phonetic compound. 至 ('to arrive') gives both meaning and sound, while 刂 (knife) was added later, likely as a phonetic reinforcer or to distinguish the written form. The core sense 'to arrive, reach' comes directly from 至, and 到 has carried that meaning since early script forms.