Mandarinbanana

nǐ = ni + Ø3

you (informal, as opposed to courteous 您[nin2])

你 = 亻 + 尔 : Nefertiti and Rosa Luxemburg are sending you a peace dove inside the space station.

不

bú

是

shi

fault / blame

不

bù

是

shì

no / is not / not

不

bù = bu + Ø4

(negative prefix) / not / no

不 = 丆 + 卜 : Bruno Bear (bu) is setting up a wind wheel (丆) with a voodoo staff (卜) in the space station's bathroom (Ø4). He also puts a "forbidden" sign (mnemonic symbol for 不) on it, to make clear that it may not (不) be stopped.

不

bù = bu + Ø4

no; not so / (bound form) not; un-

是

昰

shì = sh + Ø4

variant of 是[shi4] / (used in given names)

是

shì = sh + Ø4

to be (followed by substantives only) / correct; right; true / (respectful acknowledgement of a command) very well / (adverb for emphatic assertion)

是 = 旦 + 龰 : Mnemonic symbol: a skull, from "to be or not to be".

Sherlock Holmes (sh) starts his day in the space station's bathroom (Ø4) with a mug of coffee (旦). Holding a skull (mnemonic symbol for 是) in his hands, he asks himself "to be, or not to be" (是). He wonders if he can make the skull come back to life using lots of coffee, and injects coffee from his mug into the skull using a syringe (龰).

是 = 日 + 下 + 人 : Mnemonic symbol: a skull, from "to be or not to be".

Sherlock Holmes (sh) watches the Neanderthal Man (人) trying to climb to the sun (日) on a ladder (下) in the space station's bathroom (Ø4). Sherlock is afraid that he'll open the window, so he puts on a big skull (是) and scares him off.

个

個

gě = g + e3

used in 自個兒|自个儿[zi4 ge3 r5]

个

箇

gè = g + e4

variant of 個|个[ge4]

个

個

gè = g + e4

(classifier used before a noun that has no specific classifier) / (bound form) individual

个 = 丨 + 人 : Mnemonic symbol: Neanderthal Man (人). Neanderthal Man (人) needs to use the elevator's bathroom (e4) but it's occupied by Guy Fawkes (g), and there's only space for one individual (个). Impatiently Neanderthal Man knocks on the door using his dinosaur bone (丨).

哑

啞

yǎ

巴

ba

mute / muted / a dumb person / to be dumb

哑

啞

yǎ

巴

ba

a mute / mute; silent

哑

啞

ya̅ = y + a1

(onom.) sound of cawing / sound of infant learning to talk / variant of 呀[ya1]

哑

啞

yǎ = y + a3

dumb / mute / hoarse / husky / unexploded (of artillery shell etc)

哑 = 亚 + 口 : Maud Younger (y) is having the worst lunch of her life in the ashram (a3). It consists of a rotten mandarin (口) and sour mapo doufu (亚). After finishing her lunch she is so disgusted that she turns mute (哑) for several days.

哑

啞

yǎ = y + a3

mute; dumb; incapable of speech / (of a voice) hoarse; husky / (of a bullet, bomb etc) dud

巴

ba̅ = b + a1

Ba state during Zhou dynasty (in east of modern Sichuan) / abbr. for east Sichuan or Chongqing / surname Ba / abbr. for Palestine or Palestinian / abbr. for Pakistan

巴 = 巳 + 丨 : The snake found a sweet and sticky lollipop in front if the ashram. Just as she is about to lick it, Beelzebub turns it into a large dinosaur bone, laughing at the snake, the lollipop in his hands.

巴

ba̅ = b + a1

to long for / to wish / to cling to / to stick to / sth that sticks / close to / next to / spread open / informal abbr. for bus 巴士[ba1 shi4] / bar (unit of pressure) / nominalizing suffix on certain nouns, such as 尾巴[wei3 ba5], tail

巴 = 巳 + 丨 : The snake found a sweet and sticky lollipop in front if the ashram. Just as she is about to lick it, Beelzebub turns it into a large dinosaur bone, laughing at the snake, the lollipop in his hands.

吗

嗎

má = m + a2

(coll.) what?

吗

嗎

mǎ = m + a3

used in 嗎啡|吗啡[ma3 fei1]

吗

嗎

ma = m + a5

(question particle for "yes-no" questions)