Pinyin "xiang4"

In MandarinBanana's mnemonic system, the Pinyin syllable "xiang4" is split up into two parts: "xi" and "ang4". You can visit the Pinyin index to see how other Pinyin syllables are split up into initials and finals.

Mnemonics for Pinyin initial "xi"

Xi is for Marie Curie.
Alternative mnemonic for xi: Xi Shi (西施), one of the renowned Four Beauties of ancient China.

Mnemonics for Pinyin final "ang4"

In the anglepod's bathroom.

Characters pronounced xiang4

appearance / portrait / picture / government minister / (physics) phase / (literary) to appraise (esp. by scrutinizing physical features) / to read sb's fortune (by physiognomy, palmistry etc)

= + : I take "eye" and "tree" as resembling an ent, an alive tree. Marie Curie portrays an ent in the anglepod's bathroom. Unfortunately she's really bad at painting, and her portrait resembles more a Christmas tree. The Eye of Providence enters and, just from the shape of the Christmas Tree, instantly recognizes its own portrait. The Eye of Providence asks Marie Curie how much she wants to have for the painting, but Marie Curie just wonders if the Eye of Providence is made from Radium, because it radiates so much.
variant of 向[xiang4] / direction / orientation / to face / to turn toward / to / towards / shortly before / formerly

= 丿 + : In anglepod's bathroom, Marie Curie is being held up at the border control post because she tried to smuggle a sky fruit in a banana.

= 丿 + : Mnemonic symbol: there's a genus of mahogany trees which produce "向天果" or "sky fruit" because, well, they directly face the sky.
to tend toward / to guide / variant of 向[xiang4]

= 丿 + : In anglepod's bathroom, Marie Curie is being held up at the border control post because she tried to smuggle a sky fruit in a banana.

= 丿 + : Mnemonic symbol: there's a genus of mahogany trees which produce "向天果" or "sky fruit" because, well, they directly face the sky.
towards / to face / to turn towards / direction / to support / to side with / shortly before / formerly / always / all along / (suffix) suitable for ... / oriented to ...

= 丿 + : In anglepod's bathroom, Marie Curie is being held up at the border control post because she tried to smuggle a sky fruit in a banana.

= 丿 + : Mnemonic symbol: there's a genus of mahogany trees which produce "向天果" or "sky fruit" because, well, they directly face the sky.
surname Xiang
elephant / CL:隻|只[zhi1] / shape / form / appearance / to imitate

= + + : Mnemonic symbol: I already used an ordinary elephant for 勹, which is fine, because 勹 appears many times and 象 only a few times. Thus to represent 象 I'll use a locomotive from 1844's Austria, which was called "KFNB Elephant".

= + + : Marie Curie sees the crane and the swine fight about a single mandarin in the anglepod's bathroom. To smooth down the differences, with a locomotive she drives a whole container of mandarins in the bathroom.
to resemble / to be like / to look as if / such as / appearance / image / portrait / image under a mapping (math.)

= + : "Look at that elephant (象). Do you know who it looks like (像)?" Xi Shi (xi) asks Kazimierz Luxemburg in the anglepod's bathroom (ang4). "No, who?" "Your aunt (亻)."

= + : In anglepod's bathroom, Marie Curie and Rosa Luxemburg find a most delighting Elephant locomotive. They are so excited that they spontaneously start playing locomotive themselves, with Rosa grapping Marie's shoulders, and Marie exclaiming "choo choo" while pretending to pull a string, resembling the Elephant.
surname Xiang

= + : Mnemonic symbol: a necklace (项). Marie Curie (xi) lost her necklace in the anglepod's bathroom (ang4) and tries to get it out of the toilet again. Marie jotted down some calculations (项) on a sheet of paper (页) and uses a steel beam (工) as a lever to get his necklace out by putting the lever at the exact right position and the sheet of paper on top of the other side of the lever.
back of neck / item / thing / term (in a mathematical formula) / sum (of money) / classifier for principles, items, clauses, tasks, research projects etc

= + : Mnemonic symbol: a necklace (项). Marie Curie (xi) lost her necklace in the anglepod's bathroom (ang4) and tries to get it out of the toilet again. Marie jotted down some calculations (项) on a sheet of paper (页) and uses a steel beam (工) as a lever to get his necklace out by putting the lever at the exact right position and the sheet of paper on top of the other side of the lever.
lane / alley

= + : Marie Curie (xi) unsuspectingly turns into a small alley (巷) in the anglepod's bathroom (ang4) when she is surprised by a communist (共) sitting on a snake (巳).
oak / Quercus serrata

= + : Marie Curie (xi) wants to plant some oaks (橡) in the anglepod's bathroom (ang4), so she had the KFNB Elephant (象) transport young oaks to the bathroom. In exchange she provides the train with a lot of Christmas trees (木) to be used as fuel for the steam engine.
a kind of jade
variant of 巷[xiang4]
silkworm
larvae