稍早時

稍 = 禾 + 肖 : The little prince (肖) and Sherlock Holmes (sh) got their ration of cereals (禾) in front of the aorta (ao1). Because the little prince is so little (稍), he only got a little bit (稍) of cereals.

早 = 十 + 日 : Mnemonic symbol: your very own annoying alarm clock going off in the morning.

The sun (日) is rising above Zorro's (z) alarm clock (早) in the aorta's living room (ao3), but Zorro just smashs it with a big cross (十).

时 = 寸 + 日 : Mnemonic symbol: a giant pocket watch.

The sun (日) asks Sherlock Holmes (sh) out for a coffee in the space station's kitchen (Ø2). Looking at his pocket watch (时), Sherlock sees he has time, winks and "thumbs up" (寸).