to rise / to flourish / to become popular / to start / to encourage / to get up / (often used in the negative) to permit or allow (dialect) / maybe (dialect)
兴
=
⺍
+
一
+
八
:
Mnemonic symbol from the shape of the character: a sea star. Xi shi (xi) and a sea star (⺍) have a strong desire (兴) to smoke catnip (⺍) through a flute (一), so they hide in the engine's bathroom ((e)ng4) to crush the catnip with an eight-ball (八) and smoke it. Shortly afterwards they relax and loose all their excitement (兴) and interest in anything (兴).
隆
=
阝
+
夂
+
一
+
生
:
The pope (阝) got a child and put it in a cradle (生) in the engine's kitchen ((e)ng2). The child is Lenny Lemur (lu), and every evening the pope plays a ceremonious (隆) and grand (隆) tune on his flute (一) wearing high heels (夂).
隆
=
阝
+
夂
+
一
+
生
:
The pope (阝) got a child and put it in a cradle (生) in the engine's kitchen ((e)ng2). The child is Lenny Lemur (lu), and every evening the pope plays a ceremonious (隆) and grand (隆) tune on his flute (一) wearing high heels (夂).