生命周期

生 = 牛 + 一 : Mnemonic symbol: a cradle.

Sherlock Holmes (sh) comforts a crying baby bull (牛) in a cradle (生) in front of the engine ((e)ng1) and plays him a tune on a flute (一).

命 = 亼 + 叩 : In engine's bathroom, Marilyn Monroe kow tows before a pointed hat. She thinks that this is her fate.

周 = ⺆ + 土 + 口 : Mnemonic symbol: a hula hoop. James II of England (zh) performs in front of the outhouse (ou1): he swings a hula hoop (周), juggles three mandarins (口) and balances a small heap of dirt (土) on his head. He cheated a little bit though, because he stapled the heap of dirt to his wig with a stapler (⺆).

期 = 其 + 月 : Recently the Queen of Hearts (qi) has become an astronomer. In front of the space station (Ø1) she sits on top of a watchtower (其) and watches the moon (月). From the moon's movement around the tower she wants to calculate its period and phase (期). She didn't consider though that not only the moon is orbiting around her, she is also orbiting the moon.

期 = 其 + 月 : Recently the Queen of Hearts (qi) has become an astronomer. In front of the space station (Ø1) she sits on top of a watchtower (其) and watches the moon (月). From the moon's movement around the tower she wants to calculate its period and phase (期). She didn't consider though that not only the moon is orbiting around her, she is also orbiting the moon.