Array of Char's

Hi All,
I am having difficulty to understand the difference between:

char [] myOriginalArray = {'a', 'b', 'c', 'd', 'e', 'f', 'g', 'h', 'i'};
and

char [] myOriginalArray;

myOriginalArray = {'a', 'b', 'c', 'd', 'e', 'f', 'g', 'h', 'i'};

Why eclipse wont compile the second but will compile the first one.........
both are exactly the same to me.
any thought????

Tariq