自首
じしゅ · jishu · JLPT N1 · noun
resignation
🏳️ 自 (self) + 首 (head): you hand over your own head to the authorities
首 originally means head, and 自首 literally means handing over your own head. The compound shows that you surrender yourself, usually to the police or the law.
自 — pictograph of a nose
自 originally depicted a human nose, shown frontally with the bridge and nostrils. Ancient Chinese pointed to their own nose to mean 'me,' so 自 shifted to mean 'self' or 'oneself.' A new character 鼻 was later created to carry the original 'nose' meaning.
首 — hair 丷 over face 自 (eye + nose)
首 is a pictograph of a head, originally drawn with hair on top and a face below (containing the eye element 目). It meant 'head' literally, then extended to 'chief, leader, first' since the head is the topmost and foremost part of the body.