透支
toù zhī · HSK 7
(bank) overdraft
💳 透 (through) + 支 (pay out) = paying out past your limit = overdraft
支 means to pay out or disburse; 透 means to go through or past. Together: money paid out beyond what the account holds, i.e. a bank overdraft. Toù zhī = spending through your balance.
透 — walk radical 辶 + 秀 (xiù, elegant/phonetic)
透 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The walk radical 辶 suggests movement or passing through, while 秀 supplies the sound. The original sense was 'to pass through' or 'penetrate,' which extended to meanings like 'thoroughly,' 'transparent,' and 'leak through.'
支 — hand 又 holding a branch 十
Originally a pictograph showing a hand (又) holding a branch broken from a tree, depicting the act of supporting or propping something up. From this came meanings like 'branch,' 'to support,' and 'to pay out.' It also serves as a phonetic component in characters like 枝 (branch) and 技 (skill).