Mnemonic comic for

Translation

zhì = zh + Ø4: to arrive / most / to / until

Mnemonic

A mnemonic is a short, deliberately ridiculous scene, built to be hard to forget. Who appears in it and where it takes place are how the pronunciation is stored; the objects in it stand for the parts the character is written with. That is the Marilyn Method, and the comic below is the same scene, drawn.

James II of England (zh) finally got the package he was waiting for! He picks it up from the arrivals (至) in the bathroom of the space station (Ø4). In it is a flute (一), which he sticks into his nose (厶). He blows his nose, and boy, does a lot of clay (土) come out! He’s glad to have a free nose again.

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How to pronounce 至

MandarinBanana teaches pronunciation with the Marilyn Method: every Pinyin syllable is one initial plus one final, the initial becomes a person, an animal or a deity, and the final becomes a place in your memory palace — with the tone deciding which part of that place the scene happens in. Remember the little story below for each half and the whole syllable comes back with them.

= zh initial

Zh is for James II of England (詹姆斯二世, zhān​mǔ​sī èr​shì).

By Matthias • updated 3 months ago
+ Ø4 final

In the space station’s bathroom.

By Matthias • updated 2 months ago

至 character breakdown

Chinese characters are built out of smaller characters. Each component carries a mnemonic symbol - one concrete object that stands in for it - and a mnemonic story hands those objects to the person and the place that stand for the pronunciation. Learn a component once and every character that reuses it gets easier.

Component Translations
= y + Ø1
one / single / a (article) / as soon as / entire; whole; all; throughout / "one" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1) / also pr. [yao1] for greater clarity when spelling out numbers digit by digit
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mǒu = m + ou3
old variant of 某[mou3]
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= s + Ø1
old variant of 私[si1]
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= tu + Ø3
Tu (ethnic group) / surname Tu
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= tu + Ø3
earth / dust / clay / local / indigenous / crude opium / unsophisticated / one of the eight categories of ancient musical instruments 八音[ba1 yin1]
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Characters with 至 as component

dào = d + ao4
to reach; to arrive / to leave for; to go to / to (a place); until (a time); up to (a point) / (verb complement indicating arriving at a place or reaching a point) / considerate; thoughtful; thorough
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shì = sh + Ø4
surname Shi
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shì = sh + Ø4
room / work unit / grave / scabbard / family or clan / one of the 28 constellations of Chinese astronomy
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Words with 至

show 87 more
even / so much so that
even; so much so that
at least / (to say the) least
Sentences with 至
至 currently does not appear in any sentence.

Want to remember 至 for good?

Make it your learning target and MandarinBanana works out the shortest route to it: the two sounds its syllable is built from, then the components of the character itself, one short step at a time. No account needed to start.

zhì

to arrive / most / to / until

Prompt snippets

The airport baggage conveyor belt is a continuous loop of interlocking, matte-black rubber slats featuring worn, scuffed surfaces and yellow safety-striped metal edges. The mechanism is mounted on a low-profile, industrial-grade steel frame with visible mechanical rollers and recessed guide tracks.

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