give birth, bring up, grow

育 is composed of a variant of 子 (child) and the radical of 肉 (flesh). 育 is a simplified form of 毓. Its original meaning is a woman giving birth. A child is like a piece of the mother’s flesh, so the 肉 component is used in place of the mother. After a child is born, it must be raised until it grows into an adult for the mother’s responsibility to be considered complete. Therefore, 育 also means to raise or to foster growth.