树立
shù lì · HSK 7
to set up
🌳 树 tree + 立 stand = stand a tree upright, to set up or establish
树立 pairs 树 (tree) with 立 (to stand). Planting a tree so it stands firm is the literal root of the abstract sense: to set up or establish something lasting, like a goal or example.
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'.
立 — person standing on ground (大 over 一)
Pictograph of a person standing with arms outstretched on the ground line below. The original oracle bone form clearly shows a frontal human figure planted on the earth. The core meaning 'to stand' extended to 'establish, set up, erect.'