the further the province is from Beijing, the fewer the eyes on them

top hat on a literate gentleman farmer

“Water, water everywhere…” and not a drop to drink in Shanghai

introvert with their hood up

drops of land between the streams are the states

a dotted line through a river on a map showing the border between states

house is nailed securely to keep it calm in a storm

Yangtze is a working river OR 3 Gorges Dam built of I-beams

insect that lives below the ocean surface

Home is where they keep their treasure, but the greatest treasure comes in the news that they will be welcoming a 宝贝 bǎobèi baby!

Dear Ancestors, I would like the full-belly and full-wallet kind of happiness this year.

mark boxes on a map with X’s indicating different regions

Picture piglets floating in the water of the soup.

gang in the south: drugs, hoods, money

ten fingers of your hands are the branches

What good fortune! Found ¥ buried under the soil.

picture of an orchid with two unopened blooms at top and three flowers below

picture a pile of goods that an average family eats in a year

just need fire and a few tools OR just high fire for a few minutes

you grow a goatee at the lake

transformed into something splendid by multiplying by ten or shooting up or accepting the cross

It's not water in the whiskey bottle.

greedy rich man: one mouth eats the whole field

derived from 富 fù wealthy

magic wand hovering above the floor

Picture a magic wand hovering below the ceiling.

 Brigham Young, first governor of Utah, puts his stick in the soil and declares the Salt Lake Valley as “the place” for settlement. (𠂇 Statues)

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The sun and the moon are the two bright things in the sky.

large person grows and grows until his head reaches the ceiling and then the heavens

a drop of sunshine: white light

as a component: “白字旁”

hair turns white at 100

Japanese call age 99 your "white year" because 100-1(百-一)=99(白)

empty whiskey bottle on the streets of the Wild West

The Bible starts with the creation story: “In the beginning…” and tells of the first two humans, Adam and Eve.

the Chinese bind up big numbers at 10,000

ten thousand directions on a compass, moves by a drop

as a component: ”方字旁“

“I think I can, I think I can.” Picture the Little Engine's mouth spitting nails.

Your nose is the drop between your eyes; in China one can refer to oneself by pointing at one's nose.

fathers disguised as top hats mingling at a party

males are more field power

fruit orchard: a field of trees

alternatively: 日+木 sun + tree, need sun to ripen the fruit on the trees

A woman with her child is good.

You possess the body parts by your side.

The Despicable Me villain wants to possess the moon.

John Swigert Jr. was one of the astronauts on the Apollo 13 moon mission. (𠂇 Statues)

outside in the evening can be magic

poster in the Wild West “Wanted: Women”

Western women want it all: family, career, etc.

face-to-face interview: a hundred eyeballs on you

面 also means "noodles": picture a hundred eyeballs tossed in your noodles

picture of a fish

You fish while tending your fields (which in many parts of China were traditionally divided by water); picture a fish on the floor of a boat.

every mother needs a nap

primitive sundial: holding up your thumb to see its shadow and tell the time

This is a tall man costume with someone on someone else’s shoulders. The guy on top wears a top hat to make him even taller. The guy on the bottom wears a hood to cover his face.

hang your book bag on the coat tree

the capital is where the small people go to talk to the top hats

"We honor the memory of our spiritual leader Sì, who was the first to have a vision of this temple that we will build in his honor. He used his thumb to make many small models of the temple out of soil during his meditation exercises." (Buddhist Temple)

To learn more about Buddhist temples, look up these in Wikipedia: 白马寺、云居寺、少林寺、悬空寺、法门寺、灵谷寺、大佛寺、龙华寺

Whole grain in your mouth = (digestive) harmony.

When grain fills the mouths of the populations, there is harmony.

exit through a pass between two mountains

two stripes of clouds over a monument

alternatively: one + Great Wall, one pollution cloud over the Great Wall

two hairs coming off the head of a large dog

a frozen bust of a large dog

a large person with two arrows pointing at her head

country’s wealth (jade) is enclosed, crown jewels protected

In pastoral societies, nothing is more beautiful than a large sheep.

Little Red utilizes her hood every day when she is picking bouquets.

fortune teller looks into cooking fire, then looks away and sees spots: uses these to tell your fortune (Macbeth)

small vehicle of the east is a rickshaw

take a small thing and slash it into a few

"You have a seat 座 and a mat 席 in your cave, but you decide to upgrade to a bed and bring in a tree trunk." (Hunter Gatherer)

When you do finally reach your destination, you’ll know the place because there will be an axe by the door.

scorpion lives in the soil or ground

A woman squeezes her fist and gets milk.

This is also a name for your paternal grandmother. Maybe she is the one who taught her granddaughters how to milk?

Add muscle to what your mouth says (do the thing you say).

You add muscle to the story (exaggerate) with your mouth.

using right hand to herd chickens back into their yard

holding a chicken drumstick in your right hand

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package wrapped or bound up in snakeskin

a thousand tongues wagging

a picture of a tied tongue

as a component: “舌字旁”

human leading a cow from behind, cow comes first

cow with human legs: that's a first!

At the mouth of the monument, they’ve set up a stage.

A standing person transforms into a sitting person, maybe in a magic show.

*stroke crosses through

slice out of tree trunk becomes a notebook

Public bus #8 goes to the monument.

This character can also refer to an old man. Picture your maternal grandfather taking public bus #8 to a monument.

"Adam and Eve were enclosed for a while in a garden, Eden, where they thought they had everything they needed." (Bible Series)

a wooden windmill machine

"Little Steamboat that Could" chugging up the river, saying "I think I can..."

microphone amplifies the words of your tongue

a primitive cave store where you pay someone to get your fortune read

burnt computer is black

You should wash with water first, then eat.

A goddess moves the clouds with her muscles.

"Buy tickets to a Wild West show featuring a shotgun wedding at the altar of the town church." (Wild West)

To the west of the altar is where they sell tickets to tour the cathedral.

a lightning bolt is like a streak of electricity from the sun

picture of a kite

you’re on the hook—you’re the one mouth in charge

What’s that thingy on a cow’s tail? It's like a frayed knot.

two people back-to-back trying to stay warm in the north

ancient moon with a goatee

a bad dream: show up at the market wearing only a top hat and a towel

if you leave a walking stick out in the sun, it gets old

You have faith in your persona’s speech.

a woman at peace when she is the only one in the house

picture an open area, piglets rooting around in the soil

This is the actual site of Charlotte’s famous webs.

Chick-Fil-A cow declaring “Eat more chikin”

cow saying: ”I do declare”