標

Phono-semantic compound:

木 (나무 목, “tree”) — semantic, indicating something related to trees/branches.

票 (표, “slip, ticket”) — phonetic, providing the sound 표.

The original image evokes a tall branch or treetop marked out, which then extended metaphorically to “mark, sign, label.”

표시 (標示) — mark, indication

표준 (標準) — standard, criterion

표목 (標目) — heading, title

표가 (標價) — price mark, valuation

표방 (標榜) — to advocate, to proclaim

In classical texts, 標 was used to mean the treetop or the tip of a tall tree, a natural “marker” that could be seen from far away.

This evolved into the sense of “signpost, marker” in travel and geography.

In Confucian and Buddhist literature, 標 is often paired with 本 (root) to form 標本 — “branch and root,” meaning outward form versus fundamental essence.

In modern East Asia, 標 appears in compounds relating to standards, norms, indicators, and goals — e.g., 지표 (指標, indicator), 목표 (目標, objective).