Character Combiner

Beijing the cow had set up a little table under the old gum tree. On it were brushes, ink and a stack of square paper.

"Today," she said, "I will show you a secret about Chinese writing. Many characters are built from smaller pieces, like building blocks."

Little Thunder leaned in so close his curly mop nearly dipped into the ink. "Like Lego?"

"A little like Lego," smiled Beijing. She painted a simple shape: 木. "This means tree. It is pronounced mù."

"It looks like a tree," said Suzy. "There's the trunk, the branches and the roots."

Beijing painted two trees side by side: 林. "Tree and tree together. What do you think it means?"

Spike looked up at the paddock, where a line of gum trees swayed. "More trees. A small forest?"

"Woods!" said Beijing. "It is pronounced lín." Then she added a third tree on top: 森. "And three trees make a thick forest."

Little Thunder's eyes went wide. "That's brilliant!"

Next, Beijing painted 日. "Sun." Then 月. "Moon." Then she put them side by side: 明.

Suzy thought aloud. "The sun is bright in the day, and the moon is bright at night. Does it mean bright?"

"It does," said Beijing, delighted. "Míng. Bright."

Little Thunder grabbed a brush. "Let me try one!" He painted 人, the character for person, and then carefully painted a second person beside it.

"从," said Beijing kindly, "means to follow, like one person walking behind another. Your version is a good start."

"Like how Spike follows me everywhere," said Little Thunder.

"I do not," said Spike, following him back to the table.

Everyone laughed. By the end of the afternoon, the friends had a whole wall of combined characters drying in the breeze. Little Thunder stood back to admire them.

"Tree plus tree," he said proudly, "equals my new favourite subject."