退而求其次

退 = 艮 + 辶 : Tommy Turtle (tu) recently retired (退) and retreated (退) into the Eiffel Tower's bathroom (ei4). There he just wears gladiator sandals (辶), blows chewing gum bubbles (艮) and ponders the sense of life.

而 = 𦉫 + 丆 : A comb. Albert Einstein is getting ready to go out just inside the entrance of the space station. He put up some loud music on the stereo and tries to comb his hair with his comb and the help of a wind wheel.

求 = 永 : Mnemonic symbol: a service request bell. You know, the kind you find in a hotel on a service counter.

求 = 永 : In the outhouse's kitchen, the Queen of Hearts sees a diamond ring and wants to have it immediately. Determined she rings the service bell endlessly to request the immediate handover.

其 = 目 + 八 : Looks like a watchtower. The Queen of Hearts is on lookout on the watchtower just inside the space station's entrance. The Eye of Providence helps her to look out for intruders. They also spread some eight balls for possible intruders to trip on.

次 = 冫 + 欠 : Mnemonic symbol: the cube, as in words involving 三次 relate to "cubic equations" or "cube (third power)". The King of Chu (c) pulls a popsicle (冫) out of the cube (次) in the space station's bathroom (Ø4) and leaves an IOU note (欠) on the cube.