延期
えんき · enki · JLPT N3 · noun
delay
📅⏳ 延期 = extend + time period: the date gets pushed back
延 (en) means to stretch or prolong, as in 延長 (enchō, extension). 期 (ki) means a set period or deadline, as in 期間 (kikan, term). Stretch the deadline and you get a postponement.
延 — 廴 (long stride) + 㥯/丿 + 止 (foot)
延 originally depicted a foot (止) on a road or path (廴), suggesting walking a long way. From this came the meanings 'to extend,' 'to prolong,' and 'to delay.' The modern form retains 廴 on the left as the semantic clue for movement and extension.
期 — 其 (phonetic) + 月 (moon/time)
期 is a phono-semantic compound. The right side 月 (moon) signals meaning, since lunar cycles marked fixed time periods in ancient China. The left side 其 supplies the sound. Together it points to a set time, period, or appointed date — meanings still carried today in words like 期间 and 日期.