递
dì · HSK 5
to hand over
📨 递 = 辶 (walk) + 弟 (younger brother) — walking to pass to little bro
The 辶 radical means movement/walking; 弟 means younger brother and also gives the 'dì' sound. So 递 is literally 'walk + younger brother' = carry/hand something over, like passing a parcel down the line.
递 — 辶 (walk) + 弟 (younger brother, phonetic)
递 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The 辶 radical means 'walk/movement,' giving the sense of carrying or passing something along a path. 弟 supplies the sound. The character originally meant to hand over or pass in succession, which extends to modern senses like 'deliver' and 'in turn.'