树叶
shùyè · HSK 4
leave
🌿🍃 树叶 = tree + leaf
树 means tree and 叶 means leaf, so 树叶 literally reads as tree-leaf — the foliage on a tree. 叶 by itself can mean leaf in general; pairing it with 树 narrows it to leaves growing on trees.
树 — wood 木 + 對 (phonetic, simplified to 对)
树 originally combined 木 'tree' with 尌, suggesting planting something upright. The right side served mainly as a phonetic clue, while 木 carried the meaning. Over time it came to mean both 'tree' and the verb 'to plant' or 'establish'.