枫木 (fēng mù) — maple wood; maple (tree)

Definition

noun

maple woodmaple (tree)

Measure word · 棵

枫木。
Zhè zhāng zhuō zi shì yòng fēng mù zuò de.
This table is made of maple wood.
枫木。
fēng mù De wén lǐ fēi cháng piào liang.
The grain of maple wood is very beautiful.
枫木。
Qiū tiān fēng mù de yè zi huì biàn hóng.
In autumn, maple leaves turn red.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

木mùtree/wood

枫 names the maple and 木 means tree or wood, together referring to the maple tree or its wood.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 楓; 枫 is its simplified writing.

木風楓

Meaning part形符xíngfú

木木mùtree

Sound part声符shēngfú

風

風fēng楓fēng

Same sound today

The traditional form 楓 pairs 木 (tree) with 風 as its sound part; the simplified 枫 is a later shorthand.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

木 is drawn as a tree, with branches above and roots below.