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)
feeling or desire to do sth / interest in sth / excitement
兴
=
小
+
一
+
八
:
I would say this one looks definitely like a hedgehog, but since there's already a character for hedgehog, let's call this one a sea star.
兴
=
小
+
一
+
八
:
Marie Curie found a sea star attached to a big eight ball in the engine's bathroom. As she is a curious and interested scientist, she wants to investigate the sea star, so she pokes it with a flute and tries to tickle it with a daisy.
高
=
亠
+
冋
+
口
:
Just in front of the aorta, a huge skyscraper has been erected. It's an important building, so there's a control checkpoint at the entrance, and Guy Fawkes has been hired to stand guard. To make him look more dangerous, he wears a beret. However there's no-one to check, so Guy Fawkes is bored and eats a mandarin.
高
=
亠
+
冋
+
口
:
Just in front of the aorta, a huge skyscraper has been erected. It's an important building, so there's a control checkpoint at the entrance, and Guy Fawkes has been hired to stand guard. To make him look more dangerous, he wears a beret. However there's no-one to check, so Guy Fawkes is bored and eats a mandarin.
采
=
木
+
爫
:
The King of Chu (c) decorated the airplane's (ai3) Christmas trees (木) with plectrums (采), now it's time to decorate himself. He selects parts of his beard to shave with an electric razor (爫), then goes on to select some of the leaves to pluck them out and put them in his partly shaved face.
ardent / intense / fierce / stern / upright / to give one's life for a noble cause / exploits / achievements
烈
=
列
+
灬
:
Li Qingzhao (li) wants to start her grill (灬) in the elevator's bathroom (e4) with gasoline. As she ignites the liquid Gabriel (列) jumps in and saves her at the last moment from the fierce (烈) fireball.