Radical

10 strokes

bamboo (321a) + die young 夭 (582a) = smile 笑

[大笑 (47) dà xiào to laugh]

[笑话 (458) xiàohuà joke]

开玩笑 (85, 304) kāiwánxiào to play a joke

(The prince has married the princess from the neighboring kingdom and their first child is born. It is the custom to place a piece of bamboo in the baby’s hand) If the baby ignores the bamboo it will die young, but the baby grasps it — and the parents smile. / The two dwarf town criers have to trudge round the two kingdoms shouting out the good news.

beret (89a) + big 大 (47) = die young 夭

Notice the subtle difference between this and 天 (“heaven”, Character 76).

The child had loved wearing a beret which was too big for him (he had wanted to grow up to be a commando), but tragically he died young. (Picture the beret on the poor lad’s coffin at the funeral). / [No pronunciation needed]