踏破铁鞋无觅处，得来全不费工夫

• 足(foot; leg)RADICAL
• 沓(stack; overlap)PHONO-SEMANTIC

Stepping on the ground and treading through layers of accumulated earth beneath your feet.

• 石(stone; rock)RADICAL
• 皮(skin; shed)PHONO-SEMANTIC

Breaking something open is like using a stone to smash away the entire outer shell.

• 釒(metal)RADICAL
• 戜(sound close to 'thiết')PHONETIC

A hard, dark gray metal that rings with the sound of steel is iron.

• 革(leather; hide)RADICAL
• 圭(jade; precious stone)PHONETIC

Shoes made from tanned leather sound like the character khuê.

• 一(one; initial)ASSOCIATIVE
• 尢(disabled person; insufficient)ASSOCIATIVE

From the beginning there was a shortage, so 無 means 'nothing at all'.

• 夂(slow step; walk down slowly)RADICAL
• 卜(divination; fortune-telling)PHONETIC

A place is where people slow their steps to divine where they should stop and rest.

• 彳(step; walk)RADICAL
• 旦(dawn; morning)ASSOCIATIVE
• 寸(inch; hand grasp)ASSOCIATIVE

Walking out at dawn and reaching out your hand to grasp what you want — that is obtaining it.

• 木(tree; plant; stick)ASSOCIATIVE
• 从(follow; accompany)ASSOCIATIVE

Wheat (a plant with a person beneath it) is something people bring, so this character means 'to come' or 'to arrive'.

• 入(enter; put in)ASSOCIATIVE
• 王(king; precious jade)ASSOCIATIVE

Placing precious jade into the king's treasure vault symbolizes completeness and wholeness.

• 不(no; not; negation)ASSOCIATIVE

A bird flying swiftly upward and never willing to return represents the meaning of swift and unyielding.

• 弗(not; no)PHONETIC
• 貝(shell; currency)RADICAL

Expense is money that you can never keep in your hand no matter how hard you try.