(pronoun) this; these / (bound form) this; the (followed by a noun) / (bound form) this; these (followed by a classifier) (in this sense, commonly pr. [zhei4], esp. in Beijing)
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).
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.
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.
to make; to produce / to write; to compose / to do; to engage in; to hold (a party etc) / (of a person) to be (an intermediary, a good student etc); to become (husband and wife, friends etc) / (of a thing) to serve as; to be used for / to assume (an air or manner)
matter / thing / item / work / affair / CL:件[jian4],樁|桩[zhuang1],回[hui2]
事
=
𠮛
+
彐
+
亅
:
Sherlock Holmes read a magic scroll in the bathroom of the space station. The scroll promised eternal love to anyone who reads it and wears a pig's nose while doing so, and Sherlock gave it a try. Now he summoned the thing, and he is scared to death! All he has to defend with is a crowbar. However, he never was in danger: Since he is wearing the pig snout, the thing thinks Sherlock is his mommy, and it just wants to cuddle.
surname Lu / Lu, ancient state of China 魯國|鲁国[Lu3 guo2] / Lu, short name for Shandong 山東|山东[Shan1 dong1]
(bound form) crass / stupid / rude / (used to represent the sounds of "ru", "lu" etc in loanwords)
thick weeds / luxuriant growth / Illicium anisatum, a shrub with poisonous leaves / impertinent
bad / spoiled / broken / to break down / (suffix) to the utmost
(completed action marker) / (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) / (modal particle intensifying preceding clause)
to finish / to achieve / variant of 瞭|了[liao3] / to understand clearly
了
=
乛
+
亅
:
Mnemonic symbol from "to finish" and the shape of the character: a prize cup.
Li Qingzhao (li) is responsible for manufacturing a prize cup (了). She only needs to add a poetic engraving. Unfortunately, she suffers from a writer's block. In the aorta's living room (ao3), someone left a cryptic message engraved on the walls using a sickle (乛), which is still lying on the floor. Being an accomplished poet Li Qingzhao is able to understand the message clearly (了), realizes its poetic potential and starts to engrave it on the prize cup using a crowbar (亅).
Li Qingzhao (li) is responsible for manufacturing a prize cup (了). She only needs to add a poetic engraving. Unfortunately, she suffers from a writer's block. In the aorta's living room (ao3), someone left a cryptic message engraved on the walls using a sickle (乛), which is still lying on the floor. Being an accomplished poet Li Qingzhao is able to understand the message clearly (了), realizes its poetic potential and starts to engrave it on the prize cup using a crowbar (亅).
(bound form) machine; mechanism / (bound form) aircraft / (bound form) an opportunity / (bound form) crucial point; pivot / (bound form) quick-witted; flexible / (bound form) organic
to plan / to seek / scheme
谋
=
某
+
讠
:
Mahatma Gandhi (m) put up an advertisement on an advertising column (讠) in the outhouse's kitchen (ou2). On the advertising he is playing "somewhere over the rainbow" on an ukulele (某), but his plan (谋) is that many people will come to hear his concert and before the concert he can give a long speech about India's independence to a lot of people.