道具
dào jù · HSK 7
prop
🎭 道 way + 具 tool = tools of the craft, i.e. stage props
Theater props are literally the tools (具) of the way (道) — the implements a performance needs to work. The Dao of drama demands its gear.
道 — 辶 (walk) + 首 (head)
Originally a compound of 辶 'walk/movement' and 首 'head', depicting a path one walks while looking ahead. The literal sense 'road, way' extended metaphorically to 'method, doctrine, the Way (Dao)'. This philosophical meaning became central in Daoist and Confucian thought.