Each word is filed under its root, also known as a radical. For instance, means gate, but it is also a radical, that is, the building block for other words and concepts. If light, or the sun , shines through the gate, we have space . If there is a horse inside the gate, this is an ambush , and if there is a mouth inside the gate, we have a question . If there is an eye and a dog inside, we have quiet .
Chinese dictionary.
