to sound out the difficulties and retreat to avoid defeat (idiom); fig. to back out of an awkward situation / to get out on finding out what it's really like
lit. to sound out the difficulties and retreat to avoid defeat (idiom) / fig. to back out of an awkward situation; to get out on finding out what it's really like
知
=
口
+
矢
:
Mnemonic symbol: Francis Bacon is attributed to have stated "scientia potentia est", "knowledge is power". I'll thus represent 知 by Francis Bacon. Francis Bacon (知) and James II of England (zh) are playing darts (矢) in front of the space station (Ø1). Because they lack a dart board they just use a mandarin (口).
difficult (to...) / problem / difficulty / difficult / not good
难
=
又
+
隹
:
Mnemonic symbol: a video game which is almost impossible to beat.
难
=
又
+
隹
:
Just inside the anthill's kitchen, Napoleon and a sparrow are trying to beat an insanely difficult video game. After playing and failing all day long Napoleon finally loses his temper and crashes the game wearing two boxing gloves.
and / as well as / and so / but (not) / yet (not) / (indicates causal relation) / (indicates change of state) / (indicates contrast)
而
=
𦉫
+
丆
:
A comb. Albert Einstein is getting ready to go out just inside the entrance of the space station. He put up some loud music on the stereo and tries to comb his hair with his comb and the help of a wind wheel.
to retreat / to decline / to move back / to withdraw
退
=
艮
+
辶
:
Tommy Turtle (tu) recently retired (退) and retreated (退) into the Eiffel Tower's bathroom (ei4). There he just wears gladiator sandals (辶), blows chewing gum bubbles (艮) and ponders the sense of life.