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chéng
orange
木 + 登dēng
tree + ascend
Character Notes

ascend the tree to pick oranges

Character Comparison

chāng
prosperous
日 + 日
sun + day
Character Notes

on sunny days you feel prosperous

Character Comparison

zhǎ
blink [v.]
目 + 乏
eye + weary
Character Notes

eyes are weary, so they blink

Character Comparison
Series

shì
show [v.], *altar
Character Notes

This character was originally a picture of an ancestral tablet for worship, so when used as a component, it retains this meaning of altar.

alternative breakdown: 二+小 two + small, two small altar boys under the altar

derivative: 礻*Eastern altar

Character Comparison

error
讠 + 吴wú
microphone + Wu
Character Notes

use microphone to point out the error of Mrs. Wu

Character Comparison
Series

lonely
宀 + 叔
house + uncle
Character Notes

Uncle Schubert lives by himself in a house and is lonely.

Character Comparison

tiě
note [n.]
巾 + 占
towel + tell fortunes
Character Notes

note written on a paper towel at a restaurant could tell your fortune

Character Comparison
贴tiē paste
Series

cài
Cai
艹 + 祭
flowers + offer sacrifice
Character Notes

Ms. Cai is religious about taking flowers to offer sacrifice to her ancestors.

Character Comparison

xiāng
perfume [n.]
禾 + 日
grain + sun
Character Notes

fragrance of ripe wheat in the sun

Character Comparison

page, *head
一 + 丶 + 贝
one + drop + shells
Character Notes

a shell fish balancing a page on its head

as a component: “页字旁”

Character Comparison
头tóu bust

jiǎn
opt for
扌 + E jiǎn
hand + covered rickshaw
Character Notes

use finger to point out which covered rickshaw the family has opted for

Character Comparison

rotten
府fǔ + 肉
government office + meat
Character Notes

rotten meat left in a government office

Character Comparison
Series

tái
stage
厶 + 口
monument + mouth
Character Notes

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

Character Comparison

shī
poem
讠 + 寺sì
microphone + Buddhist temple
Character Notes

"Our temple will be installed with microphones to allow for the chanting of poetry." (Buddhist Temple)

Character Comparison

xiāo
disappear
氵 + 肖xiào
water + resemble
Character Notes

Water (or a liquid that resembles it) makes things disappear.

alternatively: 氵 + 小 + 月 water + small + moon: Do you know the story of the monkeys who see a small resemblance of the moon in the water and try to capture it, but it disappears?

Character Comparison

pái
row [n.]
扌 + 非
hand + jail cell
Character Notes

hands gripping jail doors on death row

going down the row of jail cells, offering your hand to each inmate

Character Comparison
Series

róng
contain
宀 + 谷
house + valley
Character Notes

house so large it contains a valley

Character Comparison

shěng
province
少shǎo + 目
few + eye
Character Notes

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

Character Comparison

shāo
a little [adj.]
禾 + 肖xiào
grain + resemble
Character Notes

grains resemble little bits of time

Character Comparison
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