北
=
丬
+
匕
:
A compass rose. In the Eiffel Tower, Beelzebub tries to build a compass. As a baseplate he uses a piece of wood, on which he sticks the north pike of a compass rose. On the south pike he balances a ladle, which is supposed to adjust itself to earth's magnetic field.
capital city of a country / big / algebraic term for a large number (old) / artificial mound (old)
京
=
亠
+
口
+
小
:
Mnemonic symbol: Beijing is China's capital, and a characteristic landmark of Beijing is the building called the underpants. Joan of Arc (ji) is trying out Beijing's large underpants (京) in front of the engine ((e)ng1). The underpants have a nice pattern consisting of paintings of berets (亠), mandarins (口) and daisies (小).
"Beijing cough", respiratory problems caused by dry and polluted Beijing air, typically experienced by non-acclimated foreigners who would otherwise have no such problems