树林
shùlín · HSK 4
wood
🌳🌲 树林 = tree + grove; literally a cluster of trees
树 means tree and 林 is two 木 (wood) side by side, meaning grove or woods. Together 树林 names a wooded area smaller than a full 森林 (forest).
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'.