照

zhào

according to

in accordance with; to shine; to illuminate; to reflect; to look at (one's reflection); to take (a photo); photo; as requested; as before

brightness (昭) + fire (灬) = shine and illuminate

灬 carries the core meaning: fire and its light illuminate, reflect, and capture images. 昭 mainly contributes the zhào sound, though its sense of brightness reinforces the overall idea.

昭+灬→照
昭BrightnessPhonetic
灬FireSemantic

妈妈照着食谱做了一道新菜。

māma zhào zhe shípǔ zuò le yī dào xīn cài。

Mom made a new dish according to the recipe.

阳光照在湖面上,很好看。

yángguāng zhào zài hú miàn shang,hěn hǎo kàn。

The sunlight shines on the surface of the lake and looks beautiful.

Words with 照

L照

l zhào

nude picture (from 裸照[luo3 zhao4])

照镜子

zhào jìng zi

to look in the mirror

合照

hé zhào

group photo

探照灯

tàn zhào dēng

searchlight

乏人照顾

fá rén zhào gù

(of a person) left unattended

照壁

zhào bì

a screen wall across the gate of a house (for privacy)

谍照

dié zhào

spy shot; leaked photo of a yet-to-be-released product

照相机

zhào xiàng jī

camera

日照

rì zhào

see 日照市[Ri4 zhao4 Shi4]

肝胆相照

gān dǎn xiāng zhào

to treat one another with absolute sincerity (idiom); to show total devotion

驾照

jià zhào

driver's license (abbr. for 駕駛執照|驾驶执照[jia4 shi3 zhi2 zhao4])

照应

zhào ying

to look after