瓦尔登湖 (wǎ ěr dēng hú) — Walden Pond

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

瓦’s shape is a picture of fired earthenware pottery or a tile.

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

假借jiǎjièLater borrowed for its sound alone — the picture has nothing to do with today’s meaning.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 爾; 尔 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 爾, simplified as 尔, originally drew cloth on a loom with crossing threads. It was borrowed for its sound to write “you,” so the picture is unrelated to that meaning.

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

登 pairs 癶, left and right feet, with 豆, a raised object or stepping stone; its older form also showed two hands at the bottom, which later dropped.

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

湖 pairs 水 (water) with 胡 (hú), which gives the sound.