雕塑
diāo sù · HSK 7
statue
🗿 diāo sù = carve + model: chisel out a form, then sculpt the details
The first character 雕 means to carve or engrave (also the word for an eagle, whose talons gouge). The second 塑 means to mold or shape (contains 土 earth/clay). Together: carve then shape — sculpture.
雕 — 周 (zhōu, phonetic) + 隹 (zhuī, short-tailed bird)
雕 is a semantic-phonetic compound: 隹 'short-tailed bird' gives the meaning (a large bird of prey, the eagle/vulture), while 周 supplies the sound. It was later borrowed for the sense 'to carve, engrave', since fine carving resembles a bird's pecking, and now also writes 凋 'wither' in some compounds.