工

work / worker / skill / profession / trade / craft / labor

工 = 二 + 丨 : Mnemonic symbol: a steel beam, since 工 looks like the cross section of a steel beam.

Gitta Giraffe (gu) is working a shift in front of the engine ((e)ng1). Her job is to melt dinosaur bones (丨) so that they can be disposed off easily. To melt the bones, she is shorting a huge capacitor (二) with a steel beam (工) which consequently heats up to a bright glow. Using the glowing hot steel beam she can melt the dinosaur bone easily.

工 character breakdown

工
- 丨
- 二
  - 一

丨

gǔn = gu + (e)n3

radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 2)

Mnemonic symbol: a dinosaur bone. Gitta Giraffe (gu-) found a gorgeous dinosaur bone (丨) in the encampment's living room ((e)n3).

丨

shù = shu + Ø4

vertical stroke (in Chinese characters), referred to as 豎筆|竖笔[shu4 bi3]

Mnemonic symbol: a dinosaur bone. Sheldon Shrimp (shu) found a gorgeous dinosaur bone (丨) in the space station's bathroom (Ø4) and is cracking it open to eat its bone marrow.

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).

Characters with 工 as component

左

zuǒ = zu + o3

left / the Left (politics) / east / unorthodox / queer / wrong / differing / opposite / variant of 佐[zuo3]

左 = 𠂇 + 工 : Mnemonic symbol: a communist.

Zapatista Zebra (zu) and the communist (左) teamed up for once to sabotage capitalism. They start by trying to cut a steel beam (工) using scissors (𠂇) inside of the observatory (o3).

左

zuǒ = zu + o3

surname Zuo

空

ko̅ng = ku + (e)ng1

empty / air / sky / in vain

空 = 工 + 穴 : Mnemonic symbol: an air conditioner

空 = 工 + 穴 : In front of the engine, Karl Koala found some very special cave paintings. Using steel beams he constructs a protective cover. He also installs air conditioning to make the best environment possible to preserve the cave paintings.

空

kòng = ku + (e)ng4

to empty / vacant / unoccupied / space / leisure / free time

虹

hóng = hu + (e)ng2

rainbow

虹 = 工 + 虫 : Helga Horse (hu) wants to decorate engine's entrance ((e)ng2) by putting a rainbow (虹) over it. Before she can install the rainbow she first has to set up a steel beam (工) as support though. Fortunately there is a very strong mosquito (虫) who helps her to set up the beam above the entrance.

贡

貢

gòng = gu + (e)ng4

surname Gong

贡 = 工 + 贝 : Gitta Giraffe (gu) is offering a tribute (贡) to her god in the engine's bathroom ((e)ng4). The tribute is a crab (贝) at the high tip of a steel beam (工) which has been rammed into the ground.

贡

貢

gòng = gu + (e)ng4

to offer tribute / tribute / gifts

项

項

xiàng = xi + ang4

surname Xiang

项 = 工 + 页 : Mnemonic symbol: a necklace (项). Marie Curie (xi) lost her necklace in the anglepod's bathroom (ang4) and tries to get it out of the toilet again. Marie jotted down some calculations (项) on a sheet of paper (页) and uses a steel beam (工) as a lever to get his necklace out by putting the lever at the exact right position and the sheet of paper on top of the other side of the lever.

项

項

xiàng = xi + ang4

back of neck / item / thing / term (in a mathematical formula) / sum (of money) / classifier for principles, items, clauses, tasks, research projects etc

轻

輕

qi̅ng = qi + (e)ng1

light / easy / gentle / soft / reckless / unimportant / frivolous / small in number / unstressed / neutral / to disparage

轻 = 车 + 又 + 工 : The Queen of Hearts has been training a lot recently and poses before her next boxing battle. She's driving around in her cabriolet bending steel beams wearing her boxing gloves easily, swinging the beams as if they were as light as feathers.

劲

勁

jìn = ji + (e)n4

strength / energy / enthusiasm / spirit / mood / expression / interest / CL:把[ba3] / Taiwan pr. [jing4]

劲 = 又 + 工 + 力 : Joan of Arc (ji) is training with lots of energy (劲) in the encampment's bathroom ((e)n4). Again and again the presses a power button (力) which releases a boxing glove (又) fixed to a steel beam (工) which she has to hit with her fist to punch it back into its original position.

劲

勁

jìng = ji + (e)ng4

stalwart / sturdy / strong / powerful

颈

頸

jǐng = ji + (e)ng3

neck

颈 = 又 + 工 + 页 : Joan of Arc (ji) is working out in the engine ((e)ng3). She is carrying a steel beam (工) on her neck (颈) and keeps it balanced with her hands holding the beam on either side wearing boxing gloves (又). She has a sheet of paper (页) in front of her to keep track on how many squats she already did.

攻

go̅ng = gu + (e)ng1

to attack / to accuse / to study

攻 = 工 + 攵 : In front of the engine, Gitta Giraffe attacks a steel beam using a sledge hammer. Who will win???