thorn / sting / thrust / to prick / to pierce / to stab / to assassinate / to murder
刺
=
刂
+
朿
:
The King of Chu (c) got a thorn (刺) stuck in his chest, and he cannot pull it out because it broke off and the tip is deep under the skin. He has no other choice but to use a kitchen knife (刂) to cut it out in the space station's bathroom (Ø4), but he slips and accidentally stabs himself (朿).
to kill / to murder / to attack / to weaken or reduce / to smart (dialect) / (used after a verb) extremely
杀
=
乂
+
朩
:
Sherlock Holmes (sh) is messing around with a sewage pipe sticking out of the floor (朩) in front of the ashram (a1) using pliers (乂). To reduce (杀) the marks he left he is trying to rub them off with an eraser (杀).