bu`, but before rising tone words, bu´. No, not.
er´. Picture of a beard that is parted in the middle, hence "<-->" -- an indicator that what comes before has some kind of a relationship to what comes after, hence: "so," "but," "yet," "moreover," "however," etc.
jian`, to perceive. (Picture of a human being with exaggeratedly large eye.)
mu`, Originally, a picture of a tree (with trunk, branches, and roots), it now is used both to mean "wood," and as a part of compounds having to do with trees or with wooden artifacts.
shu` mu(`), both han` zi` mean "tree" or "trees" so the compound "shu` mu`" means trees. (The sound "mu`" may be "tree" but it may also be "eye," so two similar meanings are grouped redundantly to limit ambiguity.
yin¯, Picture of person resting on a mat --> to depend on; because, because of.
shu` mu(`), both han` zi` mean "tree" or "trees" so the compound "shu` mu`" means trees.