牍

牘

dú = du + Ø2

documents

牍 character breakdown

牍
- 片
- 卖
  - 十
    - 一
    - 丨
  - 买
    - 乛
    - 头
      - 大
        
        一
        
        人
        
        丿
        
        ㇏
      - ⺀
        
        丶
    - ㇖
  - 头
    - 大
      - 一
      - 人
        
        丿
        
        ㇏
    - ⺀
      - 丶
  - ㇖

片

pia̅n = pi + an1

disk / sheet

片

piàn = pi + an4

thin piece / flake / a slice / film / TV play / to slice / to carve thin / partial / incomplete / one-sided / classifier for slices, tablets, tract of land, area of water / classifier for CDs, movies, DVDs etc / used with numeral 一[yi1]: classifier for scenario, scene, feeling, atmosphere, sound etc / Kangxi radical 91

Mnemonic symbol: a DVD. Pocahontas secretly sells DVDs in the anthill's bathroom.

卖

賣

mài = m + ai4

to sell / to betray / to spare no effort / to show off or flaunt

卖 = 十 + ㇖ + 头 : Mahatma Gandhi (m) wants to get rid of his worldly possessions and sets up a flea market in the airplane's bathroom (ai4). He displays a cross (十), a sickle (㇖) and a skull (头) which he wants to sell (卖), so he attached price tags to all of them.