straight / to straighten / fair and reasonable / frank / straightforward / (indicates continuing motion or action) / vertical / vertical downward stroke in Chinese characters
直
=
十
+
目
+
一
:
Mnemonic symbol: someone straight edge. James II of England (zh) decided to go straight edge (直) in the space station's kitchen (Ø2), and he also decided that this means he won't listen to music anymore. The Eye of Providence (目) promptly plays some music on its flute (一) to tease him, whereupon the James II of England defends himself by holding up a cross (十).
to connect / to relate to / to tie up / to bind / to be (literary)
系
=
丿
+
糸
:
Mnemonic symbol: As this is the second character in 关系 (guanxi), I'll use shaking hands as the symbol for 系.
系
=
丿
+
糸
:
In the space station's bathroom, Marie Curie found a new binding mechanism in chemistry. To demonstrate her findings, she binds two bananas together with a silk scarf. She celebrates her findings by shaking her own hand over her head.
军
=
冖
+
车
:
As a component in other characters: a general.
Zeus is driving a car in front of the restaurant. It's a cabriolet, so he uses a cooking top to protect himself from the weather. With the cooking top on his head, he looks kinda like a weird general.