敬

Right rap radical (Kangxi #66, the abbreviated form of 攴) — a hand holding a stick, signifying purposeful action. Indexes 敬 alongside 教 (teach), 改 (change), 救 (save), 故 (cause), 政 (govern) — verbs of deliberate human action. Together with 苟's kneeling figure: 'to act with bowed reverence' = to respect.

Left phonetic 苟 — supplies a related sound (gǒu drifted to jìng via heavy historical reduction; same family as 警 jǐng). Originally a kneeling figure with grass on its head — a humble or watchful posture. Adds a faint semantic flavour: kneeling humility is the very picture of respect. Same phonetic anchors 警 (warn/police), 儆 (alert), 憼 (revere).