物
wù
(bound form) thing
(literary) the outside world as distinct from oneself; people other than oneself
Ox (牛) + sound (勿) = a thing in the world
The ox (牛) was the most tangible, valuable 'thing' in ancient agrarian life, anchoring the character in the material world. 勿 mainly contributes the sound wù; the ox radical carries the sense of physical stuff.
桌上有很多东西，有些物品已经坏了。
zhuō shang yǒu hěn duō dōng xi, yǒu xiē wù pǐn yǐ jīng huài le。
There are many things on the table; some items have already broken.
他整天只想着自己，从不关心身边的人和物。
tā zhěng tiān zhǐ xiǎng zhe zì jǐ, cóng bù guān xīn shēn biān de rén hé wù。
He thinks only of himself all day and never cares about the people and things around him.
Words with 物
旧物
jiù wù
old property (esp. inherited from former generation)
物理
wù lǐ
physics
财物
cái wù
property
物理性质
wù lǐ xìng zhì
physical property
产物
chǎn wù
product
动植物
dòng zhí wù
plants and animals
物业管理
wù yè guǎn lǐ
property management
废物
fèi wù
rubbish; waste material
生物
shēng wù
organism
作物
zuò wù
crop
啮齿动物
niè chǐ dòng wù
rodent
风物
fēng wù
scenery