尧 is derived from 堯, in which 垚 (yáo) is soil or a high mountain, and 兀 (wù) is a person in kneeling pose, so “尧” means high. 尧 is compound ideograph.
See also:
土 a heap of soil
圭 a tablet of jade
尧 serves as a phonetic component to form characters.
Character formed by the phonetic component 尧
浇 jiāo, 烧 shāo, 绕 rào, 翘 qiào, 晓 xiǎo, 峣 yáo, 侥 jiǎo
跷、硗 qiāo, qiāo,
骁、哓 xiāo, xiāo,
挠、铙、蛲 náo, náo, náo,
饶、娆、荛、桡 ráo, ráo, ráo, ráo