千里之外

里 = 土 + 田 : Mnemonic symbol: a sunflower. The 田 part looks like the blossom and 土 looks like the stem and leaves. Li Qingzhao (li) wants to put up a field (田) inside (里) the space station's living room (Ø3). First she puts some earth (土) here and there, and then she plants lots of sunflowers (里).

里

lǐ = li + Ø3

li, ancient measure of length, approx. 500 m / neighborhood / ancient administrative unit of 25 families / (Tw) borough, administrative unit between the township 鎮|镇[zhen4] and neighborhood 鄰|邻[lin2] levels

之

zhi̅ = zh + Ø1

(possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的[de5]) / him / her / it

之 = 丶 + Z : Mnemonic symbol: Sooo sleepy... "zZz" (the character looks like a "Z"). James II of England (zh) fell asleep in front of the space station (Ø1). He sleeps on a big petal leaf (丶), making loud "zZz" (之) sounds.

之

zhi̅

外

wài

outside / excluding

外

wài = w + ai4

outside / in addition / foreign / external

外 = 夕 + 卜 : There's a hole in the wall of the airplane's bathroom (ai4), and from outside (外), a bat (夕) wants to enter. Willy Walrus (w) is very afraid of bats, so he does his best to hinder the bat from entering with a voodoo staff (卜).