to transfer / to move (troops or cadres) / to investigate / to enquire into / accent / view / argument / key (in music) / mode (music) / tune / tone / melody
to harmonize / to reconcile / to blend / to suit well / to adjust / to regulate / to season (food) / to provoke / to incite
调
=
周
+
讠
:
Mother Teresa (ti) wants to calm down and reconcile (调) all the people in the aorta's kitchen (ao2). To this end she climbs on an advertising column (讠) and dances with a hula hoop (周).
to make a circuit / to circle / circle / circumference / lap / cycle / complete / all / all over / thorough / to help financially
周
=
⺆
+
土
+
口
:
Mnemonic symbol: a hula hoop. James II of England (zh) performs in front of the outhouse (ou1): he swings a hula hoop (周), juggles three mandarins (口) and balances a small heap of dirt (土) on his head. He cheated a little bit though, because he stapled the heap of dirt to his wig with a stapler (⺆).
"speech" or "words" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 149) / see also 言字旁[yan2 zi4 pang2]
Mnemonic symbol: this character looks like a big "i" (like in information), and I'll represent it by an advertising column. Maud Younger (y) gives a speech (讠) standing on top of an advertising column (讠) in the anthill's kitchen (an2).