can / may / able to / to approve / to permit / to suit / (particle used for emphasis) certainly / very
可
=
丁
+
口
:
Karl Marx (k) is challenging his abilities (可) in the elevator's living room (e3). He tries to force a nail (丁) into a mandarin (口), just by using his head. On top of that he tries to do so one thousand times, in order to create a bed of nails (mnemonic symbol for 可).
可
=
丁
+
口
:
Alternative mnemonic symbol: kebab, from the pronunciation "ke". Karl Marx (k) is preparing a kebab (mnemonic symbol for 可) in the elevator's living room (e3). He also skewers mandarins (口) on the long steel nails (丁) and will only allow (可) his guests to eat the rest of the kebab if they eat their mandarins first.
to cherish / to begrudge / to pity / Taiwan pr. [xi2]
惜
=
忄
+
昔
:
NASA ordered Marie Curie (xi) to do an experiment for them in front of the space station (Ø1). They are spending 2000000000 bucks to see what happens when you crush a milk shake (昔) with a flail (忄) in outer space. Marie Curie thinks it is a pity (惜) and would rather drink her cherished (惜) milk shake rather than crush it.
lit. to be hardly worth eating, but it would still be a pity to discard it (idiom) / fig. some things have little to no value, yet one is still reluctant to part with them