Origin

The character 批 combines a hand radical on the left, which suggests an action you do with your hands, with the component 比 on the right that serves as a sound hint for the pronunciation. The hand element points toward the physical sense of "striking" or "hitting," while 比 guides the sound toward "hi." Over time, the meaning expanded from the concrete action of striking with your hand to the more abstract idea of "criticism"—striking down or finding fault with someone's words or ideas.