■ radical

dé

to obtain

How it’s built

Originally written as 㝵. Depicts a hand (寸) grabbing a shell (貝), used as currency in ancient China, to convey the meaning "get". The 彳 (movement) component was added later.

彳

meaning

walk; travel — 彳 is a component form of 行.

貝

iconic

shell

寸

iconic

inch; thumb; (hand) — Here used to depict a hand.

Through the ages

Bronze script

Seal script