支

The character 支 is a phono-semantic compound formed by combining 又 (hand) and 十 (representing a bamboo branch). It is said to have derived the meaning of "to support" or "to hold up" from the image of elderly people using a bamboo staff to support their bodies.

When used as a semantic radical, it generally conveys meanings related to "branching out" or "splitting into separate branches." However, more commonly, it functions as a phonetic component indicating the sound of the character rather than its meaning.