董 dǒng director
to direct; to supervise; surname
How it came to be
Grass over heavy, which is there for the sound. It named a plant first and was borrowed for overseeing; the sense of a weight resting on somebody came with it.
How it is used
- Two live jobs: the corporate-governance sense in 董事 (dǒngshì, board director), 董事会 (dǒngshìhuì, board of directors), 董事长 (dǒngshìzhǎng, chairman), and the antique sense in 古董 (gǔdǒng, a curio/antique).
- Also a common surname (董).