WHOLE CHARACTER
黑hēi
black; dark; dim; secret; illegal
黑 is the dark color: a blackboard (黑板), dark night (黑夜), darkness (黑暗).
ZDIC: 会意,上下结构. No beginner origin story is claimed; the modern shape is shown as a window-like top over 土 and the fire-dot row 灬.
TOP: THE SMALL WINDOW-LIKE BOX WITH TWO INNER MARKS (VISUAL)
Component group
Notice this part of the shape; it is not taught as a separate word in this lesson.
In 黑: top: the small window-like box with two inner marks (visual) Shown with its documented or clearly limited role.
MIDDLE: THE EARTH PIECE (VISUAL)
土tǔ
earth; soil
Repeated in 垚.
In 黑: middle: the earth piece (visual) Shown with its documented or clearly limited role.
BOTTOM: THE FOUR-DOT ROW (THE FIRE-DOTS FORM)
灬huǒ
fire (from 火)
The four-dot bottom fire form; not a standalone page.
In 黑: bottom: the four-dot row (the fire-dots form) Shown with its documented or clearly limited role.