捷足先登 (jié zú xiān dēng) — to achieve something before others by acting quickly; the early bird catches the worm

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

捷 pairs 手 (hand) with 疌, which gives its sound.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

足 was originally drawn as a leg.

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

先 combines 止 (foot) and 儿 (person) to show someone moving forward.

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

登 pairs 癶, left and right feet, with 豆, a raised object or stepping stone; its older form also showed two hands at the bottom, which later dropped.