逮
dǎi , dài · HSK 7
to seize
🚔 Sounds like 'die' — you catch someone before they die... or get away
The radical 隶 (servant/subordinate) hints at someone under authority. 逮捕 (dàibǔ) means arrest — seizing someone and bringing them under control, like a cop catching a runner.
逮 — 辶 (walk) + 隶 (catch/reach)
Originally a semantic compound: 隶 depicted a hand grasping an animal's tail, meaning 'to catch up with,' and 辶 (walking) was added to emphasize pursuit. The core sense 'to reach' or 'to capture' developed from this. Later it gained the reading dǎi for colloquial 'catch' and dài for formal 'arrest.'