墊底

to put sth on the bottom / to eat sth to tide oneself over until mealtime / to lay the foundation / to come last in the rankings

Characters and words in 墊底

垫

墊

diàn = di + an4

pad / cushion / mat / to pad out / to fill a gap / to pay for sb / to advance (money)

垫 = 土 + 执 : Dorothy Gale (di) built an air cushion (垫) vehicle out of dirt (土) in the anthill's bathroom (an4) and happily rides it in circles, until a police officer appears and asks for her license (执).

底

de = d + e5

(equivalent to 的 as possessive particle)

底

dǐ = di + Ø3

background / bottom / base / end (of the month, year etc) / remnants / (math.) radix / base

底 = 广 + 氐 : The space station's old concrete foundation has been broken up, and Dorothy Gale wants to send the remnants of the foundation back to the base on earth using parachutes.