桃树
táo shù · HSK 5
peach tree
🍑🌳 桃树 = 桃 (peach) + 树 (tree)
Straight compound: 桃 táo means peach, 树 shù means tree. The 木 radical on the left of both characters flags them as plant-related. Counter 株 (zhū) is the one used for individual trees.
桃 — wood radical 木 + omen 兆
桃 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The wood radical 木 indicates the meaning (a tree), while 兆 (zhào) provides the phonetic clue, though the sound has shifted over time. It originally referred to the peach tree and its fruit, long associated in Chinese culture with longevity and immortality.
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'.