The opening left-falling 丿 sweep at the top is the indexing Kangxi radical for 乍. It anchors lookup of this 'suddenly, at first' graph in the cursive 丿-radical family, where the sweeping diagonal serves as the dictionary header for fused shapes.
pictograph
乍zhà
suddenly; for the first time
The lower portion preserves an ancient pictograph traditionally read as a sleeve being cut to make a garment, suggesting abruptness. The strokes form a fused body that combines with the radical sweep to give 乍 its 'suddenly, at first glance' meaning.
