初

at first / (at the) beginning / first / junior / basic

初 = 刀 + 衤 : Back in the days when Chantal Chicken first arrived at the space station as the first junior scientist, she tried really hard to make a good first impression and put on a royal ermine coat. Just to be save she hid a cleaver behind her back just in case she wouldn't be received well.

初 character breakdown

初
- 刀
  - 丿
  - ㇆
    - 一
    - 亅
- 衤
  - 丿
  - 礻
    - 丶
    - 卜
      - 丨
      - 丶
    - ㇇

刀

da̅o = d + ao1

knife / blade / single-edged sword / cutlass / CL:把[ba3] / (slang) dollar (loanword) / classifier for sets of one hundred sheets (of paper) / classifier for knife cuts or stabs

刀 = ㇆ + 丿 : Mnemonic symbol: 刀 looks like a cleaver (while 刂 looks like a kitchen knife).

Don Quixote (d) serves his good deed of the day in front of the aorta (ao1). In order to feed the people, he uses a plow (㇆) to dig up bananas (丿), and cuts them into slices with a broad cleaver (刀).

衤

yi̅ = y + Ø1

the left-radical form of Kangxi radical 145, 衣[yi1]

衤 = 礻 + 丿 : Mnemonic symbol: a royal ermine coat.

Maud Younger used to wear a monk's cowl when leaving the space station, but when she got a royal ermine coat she gladly threw the monk's cowl out. Nowadays she uses to wave a petal leaf matching her new coat.