树
Character Story & Explanation
树 is ubiquitous in modern Chinese life: from city planning documents (e.g., 'plant 10,000 new trees' — 新增植树十万余棵) to idioms like 树大招风 (shù dà zhāo fēng, 'a tall tree catches the wind' — meaning prominent people attract criticism). It appears in official terms like 植树节 (Zhíshù Jié, Arbor Day, established nationally in 1979) and environmental campaigns like 'Green Great Wall' (三北防护林), where tree-planting is central.
The character evolved from a clear pictograph: oracle bone and bronze inscriptions (c. 1200 BCE) show a stylized tree with roots, trunk, and branching canopy. By the seal script era, the form standardized into today’s structure — left-side 木 for meaning, right-side 对 (simplified from 對) as a phonetic marker. This documented evolution confirms its ancient, nature-rooted origin.
Hello students! The character 树 (shù) means 'tree' — a living, rooted plant with trunk, branches, and leaves. It’s one of the most concrete and visual characters you’ll learn. Notice its left side is the 木 (mù) radical — meaning 'wood' or 'tree' — which appears in all characters related to trees, plants, or wooden objects. This radical instantly tells you the character’s semantic family, making vocabulary building much easier.
The right side, 对 (duì), is not pronounced 'duì' here — it’s a phonetic component that historically helped signal pronunciation. Though modern shù doesn’t sound like duì, this pattern reflects how many Chinese characters combine meaning (radical) and sound (phonetic). Don’t worry if the sound link feels loose — that’s normal! Focus first on recognizing 木 as your 'tree clue'.
At HSK Level 3, 树 appears in everyday contexts: parks, weather reports ('tree damage after typhoon'), environmental lessons, and even tech metaphors ('tree structure' in coding). It’s not abstract — you’ll see it on signs (e.g., 禁止攀树 — 'No climbing trees'), textbooks, and nature apps. Practice writing it slowly: 9 strokes, starting with the 木 radical — get the 'tree trunk and branches' shape right first!
Example Sentences
Common Compounds
Similar Characters — Don't Mix These Up
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