Mandarin Banana

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Martin Luther King (王) helps Willy Walrus (wu-) to construct a pentagram (五) out of dinosaur bones (丨) inside the space station (-3).

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A star is born

五 does only serve two characters as component, but one of them appears in like 20 other characters. On the other hand, 五 is of course an important character on its own.

When looking at the images, you should try to make them come alive: picture the characters moving, doing stuff, maybe talking, whatever. Creating a picture in your head is the best way to remember something, and every picture you see here is a little memory palace on its own.

五

wu3 =
w + Ø3

five / 5 | add a mnemonic for this meaning of 五

A pentagram. - Mnemonic by Matthias, over 4 years ago | add a painting

Image by Matthias,
over 4 years ago

Martin Luther King helps Willy Walrus to construct a pentagram out of dinosaur bones inside the space station. - Mnemonic by Matthias, over 4 years ago | add a painting

Image by Matthias,
over 4 years ago

五
=
王
+
丨

王

wang2 = w + ang2	surname Wang \| add a mnemonic for this meaning of 王
wang2 = w + ang2	king or monarch / best or strongest of its type / grand / great \| add a mnemonic for this meaning of 王 In other characters, this characters will be represented by Martin Luther King. - Mnemonic by Matthias, over 4 years ago \| add a painting Image by Matthias, over 4 years ago Mnemonic symbol: Martin Luther King. Willy Walrus (wu-) is stuck in a heap of dirt (土) just inside the entrance of the Songgwangsa (-ang2). Martin Luther King (王) helps him to get out by holding him a flute (一). - Mnemonic by Matthias, over 4 years ago \| add a painting Image by Matthias, over 4 years ago
wang4 = w + ang4	to rule / to reign over \| add a mnemonic for this meaning of 王

王
=
一
+
土

一

yi1 =
y + Ø1

one / 1 / single / a (article) / as soon as / entire / whole / all / throughout / "one" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1) | add a mnemonic for this meaning of 一

Maud Younger (y) plays her flute (一) in front of the space station (Ø1). - Mnemonic by Matthias, almost 5 years ago | add a painting

Image by Matthias,
almost 5 years ago

Image by Matthias,
over 4 years ago

王
=
一
+
土

土

tu3 =
tu + Ø3

Tu (ethnic group) / surname Tu | add a mnemonic for this meaning of 土

tu3 =
tu + Ø3

earth / dust / clay / local / indigenous / crude opium / unsophisticated / one of the eight ancient musical instruments 八音[ba1 yin1] | add a mnemonic for this meaning of 土

Tommy Turtle (tu) wants to fix a cross (十) on a flute (一) in the space station (Ø3). It's hard to do it in outer space, so he uses some dust and clay (土) to fix the two things together. - Mnemonic by Matthias, over 4 years ago | add a painting

Image by Matthias,
over 4 years ago

土
=
十
+
一

十

shi2 =
sh + Ø2

ten / 10 | add a mnemonic for this meaning of 十

Sherlock Holmes (sh-) is investigating a very strange thing, which just arrived at the entrance of the space station (-2): A big pyramid made of ten (十) crosses (十), which are in turn made out of flutes (一) and dinosaur bones (丨). - Mnemonic by Matthias, over 4 years ago | add a painting

Image by Matthias,
over 4 years ago

十
=
一
+
丨

一

yi1 =
y + Ø1

one / 1 / single / a (article) / as soon as / entire / whole / all / throughout / "one" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1) | add a mnemonic for this meaning of 一

Maud Younger (y) plays her flute (一) in front of the space station (Ø1). - Mnemonic by Matthias, almost 5 years ago | add a painting

Image by Matthias,
almost 5 years ago

Image by Matthias,
over 4 years ago

十
=
一
+
丨

丨

gun3 =
gu + (e)n3

radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 2) | add a mnemonic for this meaning of 丨

This character shall be represented by a dinosaur bone when it appears in other characters. - Mnemonic by Matthias, over 4 years ago | add a painting

Image by Matthias,
over 4 years ago

Mnemonic symbol: dinosaur bone.

Gitta Giraffe (gu-) found a gorgeous dinosaur bone (丨) in the Forbidden City (-(e)n3). - Mnemonic by Matthias, over 4 years ago | add a painting

Image by Matthias,
over 4 years ago

shu4 =
shu + Ø4

see 豎筆|竖笔[shu4 bi3] | add a mnemonic for this meaning of 丨

土
=
十
+
一

一

yi1 =
y + Ø1

one / 1 / single / a (article) / as soon as / entire / whole / all / throughout / "one" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1) | add a mnemonic for this meaning of 一

Maud Younger (y) plays her flute (一) in front of the space station (Ø1). - Mnemonic by Matthias, almost 5 years ago | add a painting

Image by Matthias,
almost 5 years ago

Image by Matthias,
over 4 years ago

五
=
王
+
丨

丨

gun3 =
gu + (e)n3

radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 2) | add a mnemonic for this meaning of 丨

This character shall be represented by a dinosaur bone when it appears in other characters. - Mnemonic by Matthias, over 4 years ago | add a painting

Image by Matthias,
over 4 years ago

Mnemonic symbol: dinosaur bone.

Gitta Giraffe (gu-) found a gorgeous dinosaur bone (丨) in the Forbidden City (-(e)n3). - Mnemonic by Matthias, over 4 years ago | add a painting

Image by Matthias,
over 4 years ago

shu4 =
shu + Ø4

see 豎筆|竖笔[shu4 bi3] | add a mnemonic for this meaning of 丨

五 appears as component in

伍吾

五 has no simplified variant.

HSK level: 1

Pronunciation: Gorodish elements and their mnemonics (what's this?)

w	Willy Walrus - Mnemonic by Matthias, over 4 years ago \| add a painting Image by Matthias, over 4 years ago
Ø3	"Ø3" is happening inside the space station. - Mnemonic by Matthias, over 4 years ago \| add a painting Image by Matthias, over 4 years ago

Words with 五

五 wu3 花 hua1 肉 rou4		streaky pork
五 wu3 代 dai4		Five Dynasties (in different contexts, from mythology through to Han and the interregnum between Han and Tang) / the five dynasties forming the interregnum between Tang and Song (936-947), namely: Later Liang 後梁\|后梁[Hou4 Liang2], Later Tang 後唐\|后唐[Hou4 Tang2], Later Jin 後晉\|后晋[Hou4 Jin4], Later Han 後漢\|后汉[Hou4 Han4], Later Zhou 後周\|后周[Hou4 Zhou1]
周 zhou1 五 wu3		Friday
五 wu3 彩 cai3 缤 bin1 纷 fen1		all the colors in profusion (idiom); a garish display
五 wu3 台 tai2		Wutai city and county in Xinzhou 忻州[Xin1 zhou1], Shanxi
五 wu3 年 nian2 计 ji4 划 hua4		Five-Year Plan
礼 li3 拜 bai4 五 wu3		Friday
五 wu3 金 jin1 店 dian4		hardware store / ironmonger's store
星 xing1 期 qi1 五 wu3		Friday
五 wu3 谷 gu3		five crops, e.g. millet 粟[su4], soya bean 豆[dou4], sesame 麻[ma2], barley 麥\|麦[mai4], rice 稻[dao4] or other variants / all crops / all grains / oats, peas, beans and barley
五 wu3 香 xiang1		five spice seasoned / incorporating the five basic flavors of Chinese cooking (sweet, sour, bitter, savory, salty)
五 wu3 角 jiao3 星 xing1		pentagram
隔 ge2 三 san1 差 cha4 五 wu3		every now and then (idiom)
三 san1 五 wu3 成 cheng2 群 qun2		forming groups of three or squads of five (idiom); people stand around in small clumps
五 wu3 行 xing2		five phases of Chinese philosophy: wood 木, fire 火, earth 土, metal 金, water 水
五 wu3 光 guang1 十 shi2 色 se4		brilliant colors
五 wu3 十 shi2		fifty
五 wu3 分 fen1 之 zhi1 一 yi1		one fifth
十 shi2 五 wu3		fifteen / 15
二 er4 百 bai3 五 wu3		idiot / stupid person / a dope
五 wu3 星 xing1 级 ji2		five-star (hotel)
五 wu3 金 jin1		metal hardware (nuts and bolts) / the five metals: gold, silver, copper, iron and tin 金銀銅鐵錫\|金银铜铁锡
五 wu3 星 xing1		the five visible planets, namely: Mercury 水星, Venus 金星, Mars 火星, Jupiter 木星, Saturn 土星
过 guo4 五 wu3 关 guan1 斩 zhan3 六 liu4 将 jiang4		lit. to cross five passes and slay six generals (idiom) / fig. to surmount all difficulties (on the way to success)
五 wu3 边 bian1 形 xing2		pentagon
三 san1 番 fan1 五 wu3 次 ci4		over and over again (idiom)
五 wu3 谷 gu3 丰 feng1 登 deng1		abundant harvest of all food crops / bumper grain harvest
五 wu3 线 xian4 谱 pu3		(music) staff / stave
五 wu3 湖 hu2 四 si4 海 hai3		all over the world / everywhere under the sun
五 wu3 月 yue4 节 jie2		Dragon Boat Festival (the 5th day of the 5th lunar month)
五 wu3 角 jiao3 大 da4 楼 lou2		the Pentagon
一 yi1 五 wu3 一 yi1 十 shi2		lit. count by fives and tens (idiom); to narrate systematically and in full detail
五 wu3 一 yi1		5-1 (May 1st)
五 wu3 官 guan1		five sense organs of TCM (nose, eyes, lips, tongue, ears 鼻目口舌耳) / facial features
五 wu3 月 yue4		May / fifth month (of the lunar year)
五 wu3 体 ti3 投 tou2 地 di4		to prostrate oneself in admiration (idiom); to adulate sb
五 wu3 五 wu3		50-50 / equal (share, partnership etc)
五 wu3 月 yue4 份 fen4		May
五 wu3 彩 cai3		five (main) colors (white, black, red, yellow, and blue) / multicolored
五 wu3 颜 yan2 六 liu4 色 se4		multi-colored / every color under the sun