丑

chǒu = ch + ou3

clown / 2nd earthly branch: 1-3 a.m., 12th solar month (6th January to 3rd February), year of the Ox / ancient Chinese compass point: 30°

丑 = 二 + 刀 : Charlie Chaplin (ch) finds a very ugly (丑) ox (丑) in the outhouse (ou3) and decides to destroy it with a cleaver (刀) because it is so ugly. He'll soon notice that the ox has been hooked up to a charged capacitor (二) so that anyone trying to damage it will be shocked.

丑

醜

chǒu = ch + ou3

shameful / ugly / disgraceful

丑 character breakdown

丑
- 二
  - 一
- 刀
  - 丿
  - ㇆
    - 一
    - 亅

二

èr = Ø + Ø4

two / 2 / (Beijing dialect) stupid

二 = 一 : Mnemonic symbol: a capacitor, because the two strokes remind me of the symbol in electrical drawings. Albert Einstein (Ø) is experimenting with a capacitor (二) in the space station's bathroom (Ø4). He finds that it's uncomfortable to discharge a capacitor using two flutes (一).

刀

da̅o = d + ao1

knife / blade / single-edged sword / cutlass / CL:把[ba3] / (slang) dollar (loanword) / classifier for sets of one hundred sheets (of paper) / classifier for knife cuts or stabs

刀 = ㇆ + 丿 : Mnemonic symbol: 刀 looks like a cleaver (while 刂 looks like a kitchen knife).

Don Quixote (d) serves his good deed of the day in front of the aorta (ao1). In order to feed the people, he uses a plow (㇆) to dig up bananas (丿), and cuts them into slices with a broad cleaver (刀).