造假
zào jiǎ · HSK 7
to counterfeit
💵 造 make + 假 fake = to manufacture fakes, i.e. counterfeit
造 zào means to make or manufacture (as in 制造); 假 jiǎ means fake or false (opposite of 真 真 true). Put together, 造假 is literally making fakes — passing off counterfeits as the real thing.
造 — 辶 (walk) + 告 (tell/announce)
造 combines the walking radical 辶 with 告 (announce), which also gives the sound. Originally it meant 'to go and report to,' then 'to reach' or 'arrive at.' Over time the meaning shifted to 'to make' or 'to build,' the sense most common today.
假 — person radical 亻 + 叚 (borrow)
假 combines the person radical 亻 with 叚, which originally meant 'to borrow' and provides the sound. The core idea is a person borrowing something, which extended to 'borrowed,' 'not real,' or 'fake.' From there it also developed the meaning 'leave/vacation' (time borrowed away from work).