(conjunction used to express contrast with a previous clause) but / then / standard / norm / principle / to imitate / to follow / classifier for written items
则
=
刂
+
贝
:
Mnemonic symbol: 武则天 (Wu Zetian), the only female emperor of China in more than four millennia. It makes sense because for sure she wrote many official statements, for which 则 is the classifier.
则
=
刂
+
贝
:
Just inside the elevator's kitchen, Zorro found a crab. He already has a kitchen knife in his hand and wants to kill and eat the crab, but Wu Zetian quickly writes an official rule that forbids the eating of crabs, much to Zorro's disappointment.
(literary) (conjunction used to express contrast with a previous clause) but; then / (bound form) standard; norm / (bound form) principle / (literary) to imitate; to follow / classifier for written items
Kangxi radical 18 (刀[dao1]) as a vertical side element / see also 立刀旁[li4 dao1 pang2] / see also 側刀旁|侧刀旁[ce4 dao1 pang2]
刂
=
丨
+
亅
:
Mnemonic symbol: a kitchen knife. Don Quixote (d) is showing off his special knifes in front of the aorta (ao1). One is made from a dinosaur bone (丨), and the other is made from a crowbar (亅).
贝
=
⺆
+
人
:
Mnemonic symbol: a crab. In the Eiffel Tower's bathroom (ei4), the Neanderthal man (人) and Beelzebub (b) are fighting a crab with staplers (⺆), but because the Neanderthal man (人) can't handle the stapler he accidentally staples himself in the forehead.
the side / to incline towards / to lean / inclined / lateral / side
侧
=
亻
+
则
:
Wu Zetian (则) and the King of Chu (c) got married in the elevator's bathroom (e4) and after the ceremony they are so drunk that they have to lean against (侧) Rosa Luxemburg (亻) to not fall down.
测
=
则
+
氵
:
Wu Zetian (则) and the King of Chu (c) think that they are a good match and want to marry, but before they do, they interview (测) each other in the elevator's bathroom (e4). They spin a water bottle (氵) and whoever it is pointing at has to fill out the other one's survey (测).
厕
=
厂
+
则
:
Wu Zetian (则) wants to use the toilet (厕) in the elevator's bathroom (e4), but the King of Chu (c) says she cannot because his chocolate factory (厂) has not finished producing chocolate yet.
厕
=
厂
+
则
:
Wu Zetian (则) wants to use the toilet (厕) in the elevator's bathroom (e4), but the King of Chu (c) says she cannot because his chocolate factory (厂) has not finished producing chocolate yet.
unspoken rules (usually ones that codify improper behaviors such as leveraging guanxi to get favorable treatment, or coercing employees for sexual favors)