Re:English is weirdly different from other languages
by erikbye on Thursday June 01, 2017 @05:03AM
(#14458868)
At least I was right about 'sickness', which was the vital clue here.
And I can "guess" a lot more than hand-picked examples, using this method I've understood everything from store signs and logos to large parts of children's stories. Granted, I've learned a lot of characters also.
There are many recommendations to learn Chinese this way.
Some characters actually do combine the meanings of several radicals, for example 孝 is a child carrying an elder on their back or something; it means "filial piety" (respect for elders). But there are not that many of them, and you have to know the final meaning anyway, otherwise it's hard to guess.