锁定
suǒ dìng · HSK 7
to lock
🔒 锁 = lock + 定 = fix/set, so 锁定 is to lock something firmly into place
锁 means a lock or latch; 定 means to fix, set, or settle. Together they mean to lock down or secure into a fixed position. The 金 metal radical in 锁 marks it as a metal fastening.
锁 — metal radical 钅 + 𫔑 (small/phonetic)
锁 means 'lock' or 'chain.' The metal radical 钅 (金) signals a metal object, while the right side originally depicted small linked rings, hinting at both meaning and sound. Early locks were chains of small metal pieces, so the character paints a picture of linked metal.
定 — roof 宀 + 正 (correct/upright, phonetic)
Originally written with 宀 (roof) over 正 (upright/correct), suggesting a household settled and orderly under its roof. Over time 正 simplified to 㐬-like form at the bottom, and the meaning shifted from 'settled home' to the broader senses of 'fix, stable, decide.'