施行
しこう · shikou · JLPT N1 · noun
operation
📜 施 (apply) + 行 (carry out): apply a law and carry it out = enforce it
Used for a law taking effect or a system being run. 施 means to apply or dispense, and 行 means to go or perform. Together they mean putting something into practice.
行 — crossroads pictograph (left 彳 + right 亍)
行 originally pictured a four-way crossroads in oracle bone script, with two paths meeting. From 'road' it extended to 'walk, go, travel,' and then to 'a row, line' or 'business firm' (read háng). The two halves 彳 and 亍 are the split sides of that ancient crossroads.