These are the characters in this series. You can review them and quiz yourself at the bottom. To see them put together in an illustrated story, go to Lessons: Extension.
壳
ké
shell [n.]
士 + 冗
soldier + superfluous
To a soldier in training, an extra shell of armor seems superfluous.
Prince Superfluous is sent off as a soldier and dies in a shelling.
枕
zhěn
pillow
木 + 冘yín
tree/wood + crown prince
The Crown Prince is convinced that a wooden pillow is good for his posture.
侵
qīn
invade
亻 + 4jìn
persona + Amelia Bedelia
Your persona and Amelia Bedeliainvade the house party, brooms in hand.
A mysterious persona asks Amelia Bedelia to invade the royal party.
挥
huī
brandish
扌 + 军
hand + chariot
Prince Army shows off his skill, brandishing a weapon with his hand whiledriving a chariot.
扌 + 冖 + 车 hand + crown + vehicle Picture a beauty queen wearing a crown, riding in a vehicle in a parade, waving her hand.
傍
bàng
close to
亻 + 旁páng
persona + side/Columbus
Deep thoughts by Prince Columbus: “The person at your side is close to you.”
耽
dān
indulge
耳 + 冘yín
ear + crown prince
Anyone listening to the Crown Prince must indulge him.
缔
dì
knotted up
纟 + 帝dì
threads + sovereign
A new tailor is hired by the sovereign, but he gets knotted up in threads during the fitting, and is fired.
4
jìn
*Amelia Bedelia
彐 + 冖 + 又
broom + crown + right hand
Amelia Bedelia sweeps the crown with her right hand.
膀
bǎng
upper arm
月 + 旁páng
body part + side/Columbus
Deep thoughts by Prince Columbus: “The body part on your side is your upper arm.”
榜
bǎng
roster
木 + 旁páng
wood + side/Columbus
Deep thoughts by Prince Columbus: “The wooden tablet at my side is the ship’s roster."
沉
chén
profound
氵 + 冗
water + superfluous
At Prince Superfluous’s funeral by the lake, there is profound stillness on the water, no superfluous sound.
冘
yín
*crown prince
冖 + 儿
crown + human legs
The Crown Prince is the next human in line for the crown.
蒂
dì
fruit stem
艹 + 帝dì
flowers + sovereign
If you picture this royal family on a family tree, the sovereign is the stem, and the children are the flowering branches.
冖
mì
*crown
as a component: “秃宝盖”
derived from: 冠 guān crown
磅
bàng
pound [n.]
石 + 旁páng
stone + side/Columbus
Deep thoughts by Prince Columbus: “The stone at my side weighs a pound.”
冠
guān
crown
冖 + 元 + 寸
crown + beginning + thumb
This is the full form of the character for “crown.” It shows the crown’s line of descent from the beginning, each adding his/her thumbprint.
蹄
tí
hoof
⻊ + 帝dì
lower leg + sovereign
The sovereign spent so much time on his horse that its hooves were just extensions of his lower legs.
毫
háo
milli-
V + 毛máo
tiara + fur
Princess Bling makes a math class breakthrough when her teacher says “a million” is like the number of hairs in her fur stole.
鹤
hè
crane
冖 + 隹 + 鸟
crown + special bird + bird
The crane is the crowned royal special bird of all birds.
浓
nóng
concentrated
氵 + 农nóng
water + agriculture
Princess Agriculture‘s new product: concentrated agriculture in a bottle—just add water!
冤
yuān
injustice
冖 + 兔
crown + rabbit
It is injustice that the royal rabbit accidentally got eaten for supper.
牵
qiān
lead along
大 + 冖 + 牛
large dog + crown + cow
There is a large dog that leads along the royal cow, who is now blind.
啼
tí
weep aloud
口 + 帝dì
mouth + sovereign
When he lost his wife, the sovereign wept aloud.
沈
shěn
Shen
氵 + 冘yín
water + crown prince
Shen is the Crown Prince’s valet, responsible for washing him, dressing him, etc.
壶
hú
kettle
士 + 冖 + 业
soldier + crown + profession
This soldier put his mess hall experience to use as a professional kettle keeper for the crown.
泻
xiè
diarrhea
氵 + 写xiě
water + write
There is a writing pad in the water closet in case Prince Mischievous is delayed because of diarrhea.
晕
yūn
dizzy
日 + 军jūn
sun + chariot
Driving in his chariot, Prince Army is dazzled by the sun and gets dizzy, veering off the path.
The sun reflecting off the chariots made the other army dizzy.
滞
zhì
stagnant
氵 + 带
water + sash
Princess Beauty loses a pageant, throws her sash into the moat, where you can still see it floating because of the stagnant water.
农
nóng
agriculture
冖 + 𧘇
crown + scarf
Princess Agriculture is quite practical, taking on the improvement of the realm’s agriculture. She wears a crown, but also a scarf like her subjects.
辉
huī
radiance
光 + 军
ray + chariot
Prince Army feels best next to a chariot, rays radiantly bouncing off the shiny chrome and his crown.
帝
dì
sovereign
立lì + 冖 + 巾
stand up + crown + towel
You’ve heard of the story: “The Sovereign’s New Clothes”? This sovereign stood up in front of his subjects wearing only a crown and towel.
军
jūn
army, *chariot
冖 + 车
crown + vehicle
Prince Army is the son put in charge of the army. His symbol is the crowned chariot.
浑
hún
engulf
氵 + 军jūn
water + chariot
While chariot-driving on the beach, Prince Army is engulfed by a big wave of water.
豪
háo
unrestrained
V + 豕
tiara + sow
Princess Bling has been called Little Miss Piggy for her unrestrained vanity.
冗
rǒng
superfluous
冖 + 几
crown + wind
Prince Superfluous is a royal airhead. He is really quite superfluous.
寝
qǐn
get some shuteye
宀 + 丬 + 4jìn
house + turtle + Amelia Bedelia
Amelia Bedelia is told to put the turtle in its house so it can get some shuteye.
囊
náng
sack [n.]
亠 + 中 + 冖 + 襄xiāng
top hat + middle + crown + Jiminy Cricket
Look carefully at this character, as several components separate or blend. Picture Jiminy Cricket in the middle of a sack, wearing a crown rather than his top hat (which is on top of the sack).
浸
jìn
immerse
氵 + 4jìn
water + Amelia Bedelia
Amelia Bedelia immerses the crown in water to clean it.
叠
dié
heap [v]
3又 + 冖 + 且qiě
3 right hands + crown + shelves
Picture shelvesheaped up with a crown and 3 right hands.
V
*tiara
亠 + 口 + 冖
top hat + mouth + crown
A tiara is a modified 高: a crown where the front part is taller.
"This princess likes bling, especially her tiara." (Royal Family)
写
xiě
write
冖 + 与
crown + offer/slingshot
Picture a written offer of marriage from the crown.
Prince Mischievous is meant to be a scholar but is always into mischief, trying to distract his father from his writing, with a slingshot.
亭
tíng
pavilion
V + 丁dīng
tiara + nail
Princess Bling’s favorite pavilion looks like a tiara on a big nail.
旁
páng
side [n.], *Columbus
立 + 冖 + 方fāng
stand up + crown + compass
Prince Columbus is a dreamer. Like Columbus, he stands up to the crown with a compass by his side and declares “the earth is round”.
亮
liàng
shiny
V + 几
tiara + wind
Princess Bling uses pressurized cans of air to clean her tiaras to make them shiny.
带
dài
sash
卅 + 冖 + 巾
30 + crown + towel
Princess Beauty is the winner of a beauty pageant with a studded (30-jewel) crown and sash, her dress no bigger than a towel.