堤

di̅ = di + Ø1

dike / Taiwan pr. [ti2]

堤 = 土 + 是 : Dorothy Gale (di) is using the skulls (是) of her former enemies to build a dike (堤) around the space station (Ø1). To make the dike less daunting she adds a final layer of ordinary dirt (土).

堤

隄

di̅ = di + Ø1

variant of 堤[di1]

堤 character breakdown

堤
- 土
  - 一
  - 十
    - 一
    - 丨
- 是
  - 下
    - 一
    - 卜
      - 丨
      - 丶
  - 人
    - 丿
    - ㇏
  - 日
    - 一
    - 囗
  - 旦
    - 一
    - 日
      - 一
      - 囗
  - 龰
    - 人
      - 丿
      - ㇏
    - ⺊
      - 一
      - 丨

土

tǔ = tu + Ø3

Tu (ethnic group) / surname Tu

土

tǔ = tu + Ø3

earth / dust / clay / local / indigenous / crude opium / unsophisticated / one of the eight categories of ancient musical instruments 八音[ba1 yin1]

土 = 十 + 一 : Tommy Turtle (tu) wants to fix a cross (十) on a flute (一) in the space station's living room (Ø3). He uses dust and clay (土) to hold them together.

是

昰

shì = sh + Ø4

variant of 是[shi4] / (used in given names)

是

shì = sh + Ø4

to be (followed by substantives only) / correct; right; true / (respectful acknowledgement of a command) very well / (adverb for emphatic assertion)

是 = 旦 + 龰 : Mnemonic symbol: a skull, from "to be or not to be".

Sherlock Holmes (sh) starts his day in the space station's bathroom (Ø4) with a mug of coffee (旦). Holding a skull (mnemonic symbol for 是) in his hands, he asks himself "to be, or not to be" (是). He wonders if he can make the skull come back to life using lots of coffee, and injects coffee from his mug into the skull using a syringe (龰).

是 = 日 + 下 + 人 : Mnemonic symbol: a skull, from "to be or not to be".

Sherlock Holmes (sh) watches the Neanderthal Man (人) trying to climb to the sun (日) on a ladder (下) in the space station's bathroom (Ø4). Sherlock is afraid that he'll open the window, so he puts on a big skull (是) and scares him off.