栄 - A Blaze of GLORY

Readings & Meanings:

エイ

さか（える）

は（え、える）

flourish, glory

Common Usage:

栄養

栄華

栄枯盛衰

Examples:

栄養バランスを考えて、食事をとる。

昔の栄華はいまいずこ。栄枯盛衰、おごれる者、久しからず。

Translations:

I think about balancing nutrients, and then I select what to eat.

Where is old prosperity now? In the ups and downs of life, the people on top will not be there for long.*

Radical:

The main radical is 木, tree.

On top, we have those three てん again, like in 学. Except don't assume that they are the same radical! Those three てん on top are usually the result of a simplification process that has taken place over centuries. Thus, the three dots might look the same now, but they're in place of very different things.

For this kanji, we know that the three てん on top of 栄 are from a double 火. Look at this former form: 榮. This doesn't literally mean that the tree is on fire. Think of a tree blazing brightly with flowers: in bloom. Hence, the "flourish" part of the meaning.

Between the double 火 and the 木 is a lid, 冖. Think of the bright, beautiful fire/blossoms spreading out, covering a large area. Hence, the greatness, the glory aspect of the kanji.

With all that in mind, I would recommend seeing this kanji and thinking of a great, big tree, burning brightly in a glorious blaze.

References:

http://www.kanjinetworks.com/indices/radindex.html
http://www.thejapanesepage.com/node/kanji/e.htm

*not sure about this translation, but that seems to be the sense.