to ally / to unite / to join / (poetry) antithetical couplet
联
=
关
+
耳
:
Li Qingzhao (li) invented a machine able to combine (联) her hair into braids, and she is trying it out for the first time in the anthill's kitchen (an2). Just as the machine starts Li Qingzhao realizes it is going to combine both of her ears (耳) into one braid she quickly hits the machine's off button (关).
系
=
丿
+
糸
:
Mnemonic symbol: As this is the second character in 关系 (guanxi), I'll use shaking hands as the symbol for 系.
系
=
丿
+
糸
:
In the space station's bathroom, Marie Curie found a new binding mechanism in chemistry. To demonstrate her findings, she binds two bananas together with a silk scarf. She celebrates her findings by shaking her own hand over her head.