to raise / to dig up / to poke / to prick / to incite / to stir up
挑
=
兆
+
扌
:
Mother Teresa (ti) is lying motionless inside of the aorta (ao3). The vultures (兆) want to know if she's already dead, so they poke (挑) her with a toy claw (扌).
三
=
一
+
二
:
Mnemonic symbol: Cartesian coordinate system with three (三) axes. Socrates (s-) is performing in front of the anthill (-an1). He created an electrical flute by attaching a large capacitor (二) to the flute (一), so that he can get the attention of all the people. Moreover, he's balancing on a Cartesian coordinate system (三). Unfortunately, only three (三) people stop to watch the performance.
拣
=
扌
+
一
+
东
:
Someone opened a popup store in the anthill (an3), and it looks like a Pudong Oriental Pearl Tower (东). Joan of Arc (ji) enters the shop to buy a new flute (一), and she chooses (拣) the right flute for her with a toy claw (扌).
四
=
儿
+
囗
:
Mnemonic symbol: a four-leaved clover. Socrates (s) is working out in the bathroom of the space station (Ø4). He's lifting four (四) wooden boxes (囗), and wonders why they are so heavy. He doesn't know that inside one of the four boxes, the monkey king (儿) is hiding and secretly laughing at him - until the monkey king comes out and surprises Socrates with a four-leaved clover (四).