self / oneself / from / since / naturally / surely
自
=
丶
+
目
:
Mnemonic symbol: a hand mirror, which someone uses to look at themselves.
The Eye of Providence (目) is looking at itself (自) in a handheld mirror (自) in the space station's bathroom (Ø4). It think it's indeed looking very good, since Zorro (z) attached a petal (丶) to its eye (目).
to follow / from / because of / due to / by / via / through / (before a noun and a verb) it is for ... to ...
由
=
丨
+
曰
:
Mnemonic symbol: 自由古巴, a cuba libre. The character 由 itself even looks like a cuba libre.
Maud Younger (y) is taking part in a charity auction in the outhouse's kitchen (ou2). She is auctioning the dinosaur bone (丨) next to her and is speaking into a microphone (曰). In the other hand she is holding a cuba libre (由), and she is already quite drunk.
within / among / in / middle / center / while (doing sth) / during / (dialect) OK / all right
中
=
丨
+
口
:
Mnemonic symbol: a dart board, because you always try to hit the center.
Julian Giant Squid (zhu-) is throwing dinosaur bones (丨) as darts on a dart board in front of the engine ((e)ng1). To make it a bit more difficult he's throwing mandarins (口) into the air as well and skewers them up right in the center (中 is a mandarin skewered on a dinosaur bone) in mid flight with the dinosaur bones. He's still able to consistently hit the center (中) of the dart board.
国
=
囗
+
玉
:
Mnemonic symbol: a nation's flag. Let's say the Chinese flag.
In the observatory's kitchen (o2) Gitta Giraffe (gu) is practising her ballet performance. She got a whole crate (囗) full of jade bracelets (玉) and flags (国) and fixed one flag to each jade bracelet. This makes a perfect combination for throwing the ring with the flag waving behind it and catching the ring again after a few pirouettes.