战
=
占
+
戈
:
James II of England (zh) prepares to fight a war (战) in the anthill's bathroom (an4). He has a spear (戈) as a weapon and a yellow umbrella (占) as shield, following his hero Leonidas.
to strive for / to vie for / to argue or debate / deficient or lacking (dialect) / how or what (literary)
争
=
⺈
+
肀
:
Mnemonic symbol: The grim reaper, as 争 is often used in words involving war (...战争). In front of the engine ((e)ng1), the grim reaper (争) marks his next victims in passing. With a crayon (肀) he draws big "X"s on the crane (⺈) and James II of England (zh).