爨
cuàn
cooking-stove
surname Cuan; to cook
Forest (林) + person (大) + fire (火) = stoking the cooking stove
Picture a large person feeding a forest of wood into a fire beneath a stove — the whole character is a visual scene of stoking and cooking. 林 and 大 together suggest a great mass of fuel, with 火 at the base doing the actual burning.
大LargeSemantic
林ForestSemantic
火FireSemantic
她在灶边爨火，准备晚饭。
tā zài zào biān cuàn huǒ, zhǔn bèi wǎn fàn.
she tended the fire at the stove, preparing the evening meal.
古时候，妇女每天都要爨饭给全家人吃。
gǔ shí hòu, fù nǚ měi tiān dōu yào cuàn fàn gěi quán jiā rén chī.
in ancient times, women had to cook meals for the whole family every day.