Character memory cards

办 bàn

to handle, to get things done

办事只靠出力？段子说：还得左右「打点」。

Getting things done? The 力 in the middle does the work — the joke adds two dots either side, the cheeky “little greasings of the wheel”.

An internet-era wink at paperwork culture, shared as humor — not a guide to anything.

Red dots = the two sides of 打点 in this satirical mnemonic; not advice.

聪 cōng

clever, quick to understand

耳朵听，眼睛看，嘴巴问，心里想——四样都到，人才聪。

Cleverness needs the whole toolkit: an 耳 ear to listen — then eyes, a mouth, and a heart imagined hiding inside 总 on the right.

A teacher's memory game: playful and useful, but not a claim about how the character formed.

Red 总 = the right side; seeing eyes, a mouth and a heart inside is imaginative, not structural history.

臭 chòu

smelly; to stink

「自大」再多加一点，就臭了。

Full of yourself? Add one little dot and — the riddle says — it starts to stink. That single red dot is the whole joke.

A classic character riddle, kept alive for laughs and for remembering the shape.

Red dot = part of 犬, the extra dot in the 自大 riddle.

夸 kuā

to praise; to boast

被夸得飘飘然？低头看看，下面藏着一个「亏」。

Lots of praise? Look under the 大: a 亏 is hiding there — praise blown up big can end in 大亏, “a big loss”.

A dry-humor take on flattery. A joke for remembering the shape — not etiquette advice.

Red 亏 = the lower component, the 'loss' hiding beneath praise.

忙 máng

busy

忙到心都丢了？记得歇一歇。

忙 pairs the heart radical with 亡 “gone”: folk humor reads it as “so busy, the heart went missing”. So breathe.

Modern-life humor about overscheduled days.

Red 忄 = the heart that the joke says goes missing when busy.

舒 shū

relaxed; at ease

舍得放，愿意予，心里就舒展。

舍 “let go” + 予 “give”: loosen your grip, share a little — and things feel 舒, at ease.

The little mindset quote people pass around when decluttering.

Red 予 = give, beside 舍, let go; a mindset mnemonic only.

海 hǎi

sea; ocean

每一滴水都到场，才凑成海。

氵 water + 每 “every”: every single drop shows up — and together they are the sea.

A favorite “small efforts add up” image for teamwork pep talks.

Red 氵 = three drops of water, the reduced water radical, not a full 水.

卡 kǎ · qiǎ

stuck (kǎ); card (kǎ); wedged between (qiǎ)

上不去，下不来——卡住了。

上 “up” pressed onto 下 “down”, sharing one stubborn middle line: can't go up, can't go down — stuck.

The image people reach for traffic jams, stuck uploads, and half-done errands.

Red shared horizontal = the line that neither up nor down can cross.

晶 jīng

crystal; sparkling brightness

一个太阳已经够亮，三个凑一起，闪闪发光。

One 日 sun is bright; stack three and you get 晶 — sparkle cranked up to three.

A kids' riddle classic, and why 晶 shows up in words for crystal and glitter.

Red 日 = the first of three suns in the sparkle picture.

买 mǎi

to buy

「买」头上没有「十」，别跟「卖」认错。

买 wears no cross on top — that bare head is exactly how you tell it from 卖 mài.

The buy/sell near-twins trip up beginners; bare head buys, hatted head sells.

No red by design = the bare head that distinguishes 买 from 卖.

卖 mài

to sell

「卖」比「买」头上多一个「十」。

卖 is 买 wearing a little 十 hat. Same body, different tone: mǎi buys, mài sells.

The twin pair settled by headwear: the hat marks the one handing goods over.

Red 十 = the extra top stroke distinguishing 卖 from 买.

问 wèn

to ask

到了门前，开口问一问。

A 口 mouth inside a 门 door: walk up, open the door, ask.

Pairs neatly with 闻 on the next card — same door, different guest.

Red 口 = the mouth asking inside the door.

闻 wén

to hear (also: to smell)

门边竖起耳朵，听一听。

An 耳 ear at the 门 door: listen in. Daily speech also uses 闻 for “smell”, as in 闻起来.

The door keeps its guests straight: the mouth asks, the ear listens.

Red 耳 = the ear listening at the door.

休 xiū

to rest

人靠着树，歇一歇再走。

亻 a person leaning on 木 a tree: time for a breather.

The classic person-plus-tree picture people reach for when explaining 休息.

Red 亻 = the person leaning on a tree; 亻 is the radical form of 人.

停 tíng

to stop; to pause

路过亭子，停一停，休息再出发。

亻 a person stopping by a 亭 pavilion: pause here, then keep going.

The picture matches how rest stops actually work — you stop where there is shelter.

Red 亭 = the pavilion where a person pauses.

怕 pà

afraid; scared

心里一片空白，有时就是怕了。

忄 heart + 白 “blank, white”: the mind goes blank — and that is 怕.

A light self-check joke people use before stage fright or big news.

Red 忄 + ink 白 = the mind-goes-blank joke, not a clinical description.

甭 béng

no need; don't bother

「不用」说得快，就成了北方口语的「甭」。

Say 不用 “no need” fast enough and it fuses into one syllable, one glyph: 甭. Northern speech really does this.

Everyday northern colloquial — 甭客气, “no need for thanks”.

Red 不 above ink 用 = 不用 compressed into one character.

囧 jiǒng

awkward, embarrassed (internet usage)

一张眉毛耷拉的小脸：尴尬到没话讲。

The boxy little face with drooping brows — around 2008 it became the go-to emoticon for awkward silence, long before emoji took over.

An early internet expression popular around 2008; you will meet it in old forum posts and nostalgia threads.

Red inner brows and mouth sides = the awkward face; shared bottom stroke stays ink.

槑 méi

“double dazed” (internet usage)

一个呆不够？再来一个呆，呆上加呆。

One 呆 “dazed” is not enough? Put two side by side. Another 2008-era joke; in dictionaries 槑 is simply an old variant of 梅 “plum”.

An early internet expression popular around 2008, now seen mostly in nostalgic posts and old usernames.

Red right 呆 = double the daze; the dictionary's old plum meaning is separate.

默 mò

silent; to write from memory

黑狗一声不吭，就默默待着。

A black dog that doesn't bark? It just stays 默 — silent.

An image from Chinese character-guessing culture; “black dog” is the shape, not a fact about dogs.

Red 犬 = the silent black dog in the riddle, including its dot.

秋 qiū

autumn

庄稼一边，火一边——猜到秋天了吗？

Grain on the left, fire on the right: the riddle answer is 秋, the harvest season.

Autumn riddles are a staple of harvest-festival guessing games.

Red 火 = the fire beside grain in the autumn riddle.

闷 mèn

stifled; bored

心被关在门里，透不过气就闷了。

A heart shut behind a door feels 闷 — cooped up.

The image behind many folk riddles about doors and hearts.

Red 心 = the heart shut inside the door; this card uses mèn, not mēn.

思 sī

to think; to miss

田上种颗心：给念头一点时间发芽。

A heart under the field — give a thought room to grow, and that's 思.

心田 “heart-field” is a favorite image for patience and thinking things over.

Red 心 = the heart beneath the field in the 心田 image.

歪 wāi

crooked; askew

「不」压着「正」——不正，就是歪。

Put 不 “not” on top of 正 “straight”: crooked.

A compound whose shape reads like its meaning at a glance.

Red 不 above ink 正 = not straight, therefore crooked.

茶 chá

tea

人在草木中——坐下来，喝杯茶。

A person standing among grass and trees: time for 茶, tea.

“人在草木中” is the riddle tea lovers love to quote.

Red 艹 = the complete grass radical; the person and tree shapes below stay ink.

出 chū

to go out

像一座山叠着一座山：出。

One mountain stacked on another — 出. The two share the middle stroke, so that line stays ink.

A Spring Festival riddle classic, once printed in a People's Daily overseas edition guessing page.

Red upper-mountain strokes only = the two mountains share the central vertical.

阔 kuò

wide; rich (阔气)

门里写个「活」字——门太宽了，阔！

In the old tale, a 活 added inside the gate tells Cao Cao: the gate is too wide — 阔.

The Yang Xiu gate anecdote from Three Kingdoms storytelling — told as a tale, not as verified history.

Red 活 = the character written inside the gate in the Yang Xiu tale.

合 hé

to close; to combine; to suit

「一合酥」被读成「一人一口酥」——人人有份。

The tale: a snack box marked 合 becomes “one bite each” — 人一口.

Another Yang Xiu anecdote from Three Kingdoms storytelling.

Red 口 = the mouth in 一人一口; the upper person shape is approximate.

福 fú

good fortune; blessing

福字倒着贴——「福到」啦！

Paste 福 upside down: dào “upside-down” sounds like “arrive” — fortune has arrived!

A Spring Festival custom. Not every region turns the door fu upside down, and the origin story is legend.

Red 畐 = the main right component; only the custom turns 福 upside down.

鱼 yú

fish

年年有鱼，年年有余。

A fish on the New Year table: yú sounds like 余 “plenty” — a wish for abundance every year.

A New Year's Eve dinner custom; a homophone wish, not a spelling fact.

Red 田 shape = a visual cue inside 鱼, unrelated to the 鱼/余 homophone.

狼 láng

wolf

比狠人再狠一点？网友说：那是「狼人」。

One dot beyond 狠 “fierce”: the internet's 狼人 is the fiercer beast.

A 2019-era wordplay wave (狼人、狼火、狼灭) — a joke about spelling, not about wolves.

Red dot = the one extra dot in the 狼人 / 狠人 spelling joke.

鸽 gē

pigeon; dove

约好的人没来？这只「鸽子」飞走了。

A no-show “flew off as a pigeon” — 放鸽子, stood someone up.

From the 2019 meme zoo (鸽子精 = the serial canceller); rescheduling agreed in advance is a different thing.

Red 鸟 = the bird half; the flying-away sentence is original to this site.

肝 gān

liver

一边肉月旁，一边「干」——「爆肝」说的是熬夜拼命干。

Liver, with 干 “work” beside the flesh radical: 爆肝 jokes about grinding all night.

Taiwan slang recorded in a People's Daily overseas glossary — an exaggeration, not medical advice.

Red 干 = the work cue in the original 爆肝 mnemonic; not medical advice.

破 pò

broken; to break

石头碰上「皮」？网络说的「破防」，是心防被触动。

Stone meets 皮 “skin” in 破 — and online, 破防 means your emotional defense just gave way.

From gaming “defense broken” to the 2021 word lists: moved, touched or overwhelmed — any feeling counts.

Red 皮 = the skin in the shape picture; 破防 concerns emotional defenses online.

叕 zhuó

to join, link (a reading of 叕)

一个「又」不够？又双叒叕——怎么又来了！

Again? 又双叒叕 — four 又 stacked into one long groan of “yet again”.

The stacked-又 string spread through social media and even news headlines (a 2022 Xinhua headline used it).

Red bottom-right 又 = one of the four repeated 又 shapes.

嫑 biáo

no need; don't (dialect)

「不」+「要」，挤成一个「嫑」。嫑着急！

不 pressed onto 要 — “don't” in one character: 嫑.

Dialect contraction, also seen in the net phrase 嫑嫑的 — squeeze 不用/不要 and this is what you get.

Red 要 below ink 不 = 不要 compressed into 嫑.

告 gào

to tell; to inform

一口咬掉牛尾巴——原来是「告」。

A 口 mouth bites the tail off 牛: the riddle points to 告, “to tell”.

A classic character riddle — the biting is wordplay, not how the character formed.

Red 口 = the mouth that bites off the cow's tail in the riddle.

坐 zuò

to sit

两个人挨着坐在土上，正好歇一歇。

Two people settle onto the 土 earth: take a seat.

The vertical of 土 rises between the two compressed people, so they appear to sit on the earth.

The two little figures are compressed shapes — the right one's sweep even turns into a dot.

Red 土 = the earth beneath two compressed person shapes; strokes are not full separate 人 characters.

明 míng

bright; clear

一边太阳，一边月亮：亮得很「明」白。

Sun on one side, moon on the other — a bright way to remember 明.

The sun-and-moon picture is a reading aid; ancient glyph history is a separate topic.

Red 月 = the moon beside the sun in the brightness picture.

胖 pàng

plump; fat

谜面说「四十五天」：一个月再加半个月，猜「胖」。

A month plus half a month — the riddle's arithmetic spells 胖, plump.

The left “月” is really the flesh radical in modern dress; months aren't actually 30 days everywhere.

Red 半 = half a month in the riddle; the left 月 is the flesh radical.

春 chūn

spring

三人同日去看花——猜到了吗？是「春」。

Three people out flower-viewing on the same day: that's 春, spring.

A first-grade riddle classic. The “three people” shape shares strokes, so only the 日 below is marked.

Red 日 = the shared outing day; the upper 三/人 shapes share strokes.

泪 lèi

tears

眼睛旁边有水——想到「泪目」，眼眶就湿了。

Water beside an eye: 泪. And 泪目 — “eyes brimming” — describes being moved to tears.

泪目 isn't a brand-new net word: one word-history page traces it back to Tang-era writing.

Red 氵 = the water beside the eye.

好 hǎo

good; well

女 + 子，凑在一起，就是「好」。

The old dictionary pairs 女 with 子 and calls the result 好 — good.

《说文解字》 glosses 好 as 女+子 — one of its classic compound analyses.

Red 子 = the second component in the old dictionary's 女 + 子 analysis.

忘 wàng

to forget

事情过去了（亡），心里没留下——就是「忘」。和「忙」是一对。

亡 “gone” over 心 “heart”: the folk line for forgetting — and a matching pair with 忙.

The old dictionary actually reads 亡 as the sound part; the “heart gone missing” line is the folk version.

Red 心 = the heart in the folk forgetting story; 亡 is a sound component in 说文.

取 qǔ

to take; to fetch

一边是「耳」，一边是「又」（手）——伸手去拿，就是「取」。

The old dictionary builds 取 from 耳 “ear” + 又 “hand”: a hand doing the taking.

《说文解字》 lists 耳+又 among its component analyses — striking enough to stick in memory.

Red 又 = the old hand shape, not the modern word 'again'.

安 ān

peace; safe; to settle

屋檐下有个「女」——安家、安心、安顿。

The old dictionary's picture: a 女 under the roof radical — 安, settled and safe.

Another 《说文解字》 compound: 女在宀下. Read it as the dictionary's picture, not modern commentary.

Red 女 = the component beneath the roof in the old dictionary's picture.

愁 chóu

sorrow; to worry

秋落在心上——宋代词人把离别写成了「愁」。

“何处合成愁？离人心上秋。” A Song-dynasty ci poet splits 愁 into autumn falling on the heart.

吴文英《唐多令》 plays the character game inside actual verse — wordplay with an 800-year pedigree.

Red 心 = the heart beneath autumn in the Song-ci wordplay.

囍 xǐ

double happiness (wedding emblem)

喜事成双：婚礼上的两份「喜」，合成一个「囍」。

Two 喜 side by side wish a couple 囍 — double happiness.

A wedding-paper emblem more than a standard character; the Wang Anshi origin story is legend.

Red right 喜 = the second happiness in the wedding emblem.

李 lǐ

plum; a surname

说姓李时，补一句「木子李」，别人就知道是哪个 lǐ。

Say “wood over child” — 木子李 — and everyone knows which Lǐ you mean.

A surname-spelling habit; a Qing-dynasty miscellany already records 木子 as the way to identify 李.

Red 子 = the lower half of the surname cue 木子李.

张 zhāng

to open; a surname

姓张？说一声「弓长张」，听的人就知道怎么写。

“Bow plus long” — 弓长张 — points to the surname Zhāng.

The same Qing miscellany records 弓长 for 张 — surnames get spelled out character by character.

Red 长 = the right half of 弓长张; this is simplified 张, not 張.

搭 dā

to put up; to pair up

饭搭子陪你吃，运动搭子陪你练——「搭子」就是一起做某件事的伙伴。

A 饭搭子 is a meal buddy; a workout buddy is another 搭子 — a partner for one shared activity.

2023 reporting on “搭子社交” put this buddy vocabulary on the trends pages.

Red 扌 = the hand radical; the right side is 荅, not standalone 合.

尬 gà

awkward (in 尴尬)

话题突然接不上，聊天尴尬地停住——这就是「尬聊」。

When small talk stalls and turns painful, it's 尬聊 — cringe chat.

Recorded in 2017 language reporting; not some brand-new trend, and 尬 originally comes from 尴尬.

Red 介 = the right component of 尬; the usage note concerns 尬聊.

雷 léi

thunder; shocking (雷人)

雨下田间一阵雷；网上说「雷人」，是让人吃惊。

Rain over a field gives a thunder picture; online, 雷人 describes something startling or shocking.

People's Daily Overseas noted 雷人 entering a standard dictionary; the red 田 is simply the lower component.

Red 田 = the field under the rain; 雷人 is internet usage, not a weather metaphor.

闪 shǎn

to flash; to dodge

门里人影一闪，眨眼就不见了。

A person darts through a doorway and is gone in a flash. Use the person inside 门 to anchor 闪.

An original motion picture for the modern shape; the character also means to dodge.

Red 人 = the person darting through the door.

值 zhí

value; to be worth

一人站得直，价值别忘了认真衡量。

A person beside 直 gives a spelling hook for 值, value. Think: assess a person's worth straight, without a crooked scale.

Original wording for a values-themed mnemonic; it is not a historical claim about the character.

Red 直 = the right-hand component in 值.

森 sēn

forest

一棵木，两棵木，三棵木，走到森林里。

Three 木 trees together make 森, a forest. Only the lower-left tree is red; the other two stay ink.

A counting picture for the modern stacked form, not a claim about ancient pronunciation.

Red lower-left 木 = one of the three trees in 森.

品 pǐn

to taste; product; quality

三口都来尝一尝，品味、品质都记住。

Three 口 mouths can all take a taste: that is the memory picture for 品, to taste, also product or quality.

The red top mouth is one of three; the story links tasting with the modern shape only.

Red 口 = the top mouth of the three in 品.

众 zhòng

crowd; many people

三人同行，就成众人。

Three 人 person shapes stand together as 众, a crowd. Only the lower-left person is red; the other two stay ink.

A modern shape-counting story; do not confuse it with the unrelated character 丛.

Red lower-left 人 = one person among the crowd.

信 xìn

trust; letter; message

人说出的话要算数，这就是守信；写下的话，也能成信。

A person beside 言, speech: the folk picture says keep your word. 信 also means a letter or message.

A common folk association in original wording; the dictionary's phonetic analysis is a separate matter.

Red 言 = speech; a mnemonic for keeping one's word, not etymology.

仙 xiān

immortal; celestial being

人到山间住，像个小神仙。

Imagine a person living high in the mountains like a recluse: 亻 plus 山 gives the shape of 仙.

An original mountain-retreat image; it is not a claim about any real immortal or early glyph form.

Red 山 = the mountain beside the person.

吹 chuī

to blow

口边一个欠，张口往外吹口气。

A 口 mouth beside 欠 gives a simple spelling picture: open your mouth and blow, 吹.

Original phrasing for the two modern components; 欠 also supplies the sound, so do not force a meaning story.

Red 欠 = the right component; the mouth on the left supplies the scene.

看 kàn

to look; to watch

手搭凉棚放在目上，往远处看一看。

Shade your 目 eye with a hand above it and look into the distance: 看.

A classic classroom picture in original wording; the upper hand shape is modified, not a separate full 手 pasted on top.

Red 目 = the eye under the hand-shaped top; shared/modified strokes stay ink.

男 nán

male; man

田边一个力，记住「男」的两块字形。

Only the lower 力 is red; every stroke of 田 above stays ink. Treat the farming scene only as a spelling aid, not a job rule.

A traditional classroom association, explicitly not a statement about what men or women should do.

Red 力 = the complete lower strength component; all 田 strokes stay ink.

家 jiā

home; family

屋顶下有豕，农家院落就是家。

A roof over 豕, a pig, evokes an old farmyard: 家, home or family.

A traditional farmyard picture for the modern form; it is not a definition of every household.

Red 豕 = the pig under the roof in this traditional picture.

笔 bǐ

writing brush; pen

竹管下面一束毛，拿起来就是毛笔。

A bamboo tube over a bundle of hair makes the writing-brush picture: 笔. Today it can mean pens too.

The Four Treasures of the Study source documents the brush as a cultural tool; the split mnemonic is separate.

Red 毛 = the brush hair beneath the bamboo radical.

她 tā

she; her

女字旁在左，也在右；「她」也一样来报到。

She has 女 on the left and 也 on the right. Read it as a quick spoken shape cue: she, too — 她.

An original sound-and-shape sentence for the modern pronoun; no historical origin is inferred.

Red 女 = the left component; 也 remains ink on the right.

您 nín

you (polite)

把你放在心上，所以客气地说「您」。

Put 你 above 心, heart: a warm way to remember polite 您, 'you'.

A courtesy mnemonic, not proof that politeness historically came from putting someone in a heart.

Red 心 = the heart beneath 你 in this politeness mnemonic.

尖 jiān

pointed; sharp

上小下大，越往上越尖。

Small on top, big below: the shape narrows to a point, 尖.

A direct visual cue using the two modern components; no ancient development is claimed.

Red 大 = the broad base below the small top.

灭 miè

to extinguish; to wipe out

一横压在火上，像把火盖住，火就灭了。

A horizontal cover over 火, fire: cover the flames and put them out, 灭.

An original visual cover story; the red top stroke is highlighted separately from the fire below.

Red 一 = the cover above the fire; the fire stays ink.

尘 chén

dust

小小的土粒飞起来，就是尘土。

Tiny grains of 土 earth become 尘, dust: 小 above 土.

A modern component picture; 小 supplies a meaning cue here without any historical assertion.

Red 土 = the earth beneath 小 in the dust picture.

哭 kū

to cry

两张口一起哭，下面的犬也像在呜呜叫。

Two mouths wail while the 犬 below seems to join in: a noisy picture for 哭, to cry.

A deliberately playful image only; it is not a claim that the character was designed around a crying dog.

Red 犬 = the dog-shaped bottom in this invented crying scene.

拆 chāi

to take apart; to dismantle

伸手把东西拆开，左边提手旁先记住。

A hand does the dismantling: 扌 beside 斥 gives the shape of 拆, to take apart.

The hand radical supplies a useful action cue; 斥 is not being translated as 'demolish'.

Red 扌 = the hand doing the dismantling.

孬 nāo

bad; no good (colloquial)

不好，不好，合起来就是「孬」。

Put 不, not, over 好, good: not good — 孬, a colloquial word for bad.

A transparent modern word-and-shape note; usage is colloquial, not formal standard writing.

Red 不 = the 'not' above 好 in 孬.

犇 bēn

to run; to stampede (rare)

三头牛一起奔，尘土都飞起来了。

Three 牛 oxen charge together: an exaggerated herd picture for 犇, a rare character associated with running.

A rare-character picture for recognition, not a suggestion that this is everyday vocabulary.

Red lower-left 牛 = one ox in the three-ox stampede.

卷 juǎn

to roll; 内卷, involution

纸边一卷再一卷；「内卷」说的是过度竞争，不是读书越多越好。

A curling lower stroke suggests rolling. Online, 内卷 describes exhausting competition that does not bring matching returns.

The 2021 report documents 内卷 and 躺平; it does not endorse overwork or identify an inventor.

Red 㔾 = the curling bottom; the social term 内卷 is a separate usage.

躺 tǎng

to lie down; 躺平, to lie flat

身体往旁边一躺，先歇一歇；「躺平」是网络热词。

The 身 body radical gives the literal action: lie down. The online phrase 躺平 frames rest as a response to pressure.

The cited report presents differing attitudes; this card does not prescribe giving up or working harder.

Red 身 = the body radical; 躺平 is documented internet vocabulary.

锅 guō

pot; wok; 甩锅, to shift blame

锅本是炊具；网络上「甩锅」不是炒菜，是把责任推给别人。

A pot is a real cooking vessel, but 甩锅, tossing the pot, means shifting responsibility onto someone else.

Language columnist Du Yongdao directly defines the expression; the red metal radical marks the physical pot.

Red 钅 = the metal radical of the cooking pot, not the blame itself.

萌 méng

bud; to sprout; cute (online)

草木萌芽是本意；网上说「萌」，常常是可爱。

A plant bud is the older meaning; online, 萌 often describes something cute. The grass top keeps the sprout image visible.

The article documents 卖萌 and related online vocabulary without claiming a single inventor.

Red 艹 = the plant top, linking bud to the later cute usage.

锦 jǐn

brocade; 锦鲤, lucky koi

锦是有花纹的丝织物；网上转发「锦鲤」，是在讨个好运气。

锦 means brocade; 锦鲤 is a colorful koi and, online, a symbol of good luck.

The 2018 account documents a lucky-draw campaign and later usage; it does not promise actual luck.

Red 钅 = the left radical of 锦; the lucky meaning belongs to 锦鲤, not 锦 alone.

核 hé

core; nucleus; 硬核, hardcore

果核在最里面；「硬核」用来形容强硬、扎实或很有难度。

A fruit's core sits at its center; online, 硬核 can describe something tough, intense or genuinely hardcore.

The 2019 report lists the expression and glosses it as strong or tough; the wood-radical highlight is only structural.

Red 木 = the left component; 硬核 is a documented 2019 expression.

酸 suān

sour; jealous in 我酸了

柠檬味酸；网上说「我酸了」，多是羡慕或自嘲。

Lemons taste sour; online, 我酸了 turns that sour feeling into envy or self-deprecating admiration.

The report explains 柠檬精 and 我酸了, including softening from mockery to self-mockery; no celebrity quote is needed.

Red 酉 = the left component; 我酸了 is the documented internet usage.

纸 zhǐ

paper

绞丝旁在左，氏在右；一张宣纸，正等笔墨落上去。

The 纟 thread radical is a material clue for 纸, paper; Xuan paper is the cultural example.

SCIO describes paper as one of the Four Treasures; it does not claim this shape story is etymology.

Red 纟 = the thread radical; Xuan paper is the cultural example.

墨 mò

ink; inkstick

黑烟成墨，下面是土；一笔落纸，墨色就开了。

Black above 土 gives a soot-and-earth picture for 墨, the ink used in calligraphy and painting.

SCIO documents ink as a writing and coloring material; the shape sentence is original, not a manufacturing formula.

Red 黑 = the black upper component; the inkstick's real recipe is more complex.

画 huà

to draw; painting

田在框中，像把一方风景收进画里。

A 田 field held inside a frame suggests a little landscape captured in 画, a drawing or painting.

The museum's literati-arts exhibition supplies the cultural setting; the field-in-frame story is only a mnemonic.

Red 田 = the complete central field, not just its middle stroke.

琴 qín

qin, a zither; musical instrument

两王在上，今在下；古琴一声，文人的琴棋书画开场了。

Two 王 shapes sit above 今 in 琴, a zither and one of the four literati arts.

The museum explicitly names 琴棋书画 as the four arts; it does not explain the character's formation.

Red two 王 = the paired upper shapes, not the whole 珡 component; 今 and lower 人 stay ink.

棋 qí

board game; chess

木作棋盘与棋子，围坐来下一盘棋。

The 木 radical suggests wooden boards or pieces: 棋, chess or a board game, another literati art.

The cultural source supports board games among the four arts, not the claim that all sets were wooden.

Red 木 = the material clue; 其 supplies the right side.

酒 jiǔ

alcoholic drink; wine

三点水旁有酉，古人用酒器盛酒。

Water drops beside 酉, an ancient wine-vessel shape, make a useful picture for 酒, wine or alcohol.

The Palace Museum glosses 酉 as a wine vessel in its ritual-bronze note; this is context, not a claim about every drink.

Red 氵 = the liquid clue beside the wine-vessel 酉.

钟 zhōng

bell; clock

金属做成钟，青铜钟声响；计时的钟表也用这个字。

The metal radical 钅 points to a bronze bell; in modern vocabulary 钟 also names a clock. These are separate dictionary senses, not a history inferred from the artifact.

The museum object record describes an actual bronze bell only; it makes no claim about when the clock sense arose.

Red 钅 = the metal of the bell; 中 stays ink.

从 cóng

to follow; from

一个人跟着一个人，前后慢慢走。

One 人 follows another: a simple procession picture for 从, to follow. It also commonly means from.

An original two-person scene for the modern shape; the English gives both frequent uses.

Red 人 = the follower on the right.

炎 yán

flame; inflammation

一把火，再来一把火，火光炎炎。

One 火 fire stacked on another doubles the heat in the memory picture for 炎, flame.

A repetition mnemonic; the medical use in 炎症 is a related vocabulary extension, not a diagnosis.

Red 火 = the upper flame of the two in 炎.

吠 fèi

to bark

犬在口边叫一声：汪！这就是吠。

A 犬 dog beside a 口 mouth gives exactly the scene: a dog barks, 吠.

A direct action picture for modern components, not a claim about the character's early sound.

Red 犬 = the dog doing the barking.

鸣 míng

to sing; to cry out (birds/animals)

小鸟张开嘴，一声鸣叫。

A 鸟 bird beside a 口 mouth: hear it sing or call, 鸣.

The mouth-and-bird scene is original wording for a common classroom association.

Red 鸟 = the bird beside the mouth.

苗 miáo

seedling; sprout

田里刚冒出草头，小苗长出来了。

Grass pushing up above a 田 field gives 苗, a young seedling.

A direct field picture; the red grass radical is not the whole plant.

Red 艹 = the new growth above the field.

困 kùn

trapped; sleepy

木被围在框里，出不去，困了。

A 木 tree enclosed in a box looks stuck: 困, trapped. In daily speech it also means sleepy.

An enclosure picture for the modern shape; the two meanings are included without inventing a historical bridge.

Red 木 = the tree stuck inside the enclosure.

囚 qiú

prisoner; to imprison

人被困在框里，失去自由，就是囚。

A 人 person enclosed in 囗 gives a stark picture of 囚, a prisoner or imprisonment.

A literal enclosure mnemonic, not commentary on any real person or justice system.

Red 人 = the person inside the enclosure.

道 dào

way; road; method

首在前面，辶带着往前走——找一条道。

Let 首, head, lead the movement radical 辶: find your 道, a road or a way of doing things.

An original leadership picture; 辶 is the movement radical, not a separate walking person.

Red 首 = the head-shaped component; 辶 supplies the movement cue.

们 men

plural marker for people

人们到门口集合，一个变多个，就加个「们」。

Picture people gathering at a 门 door: 亻 plus 门 spells 们, the plural marker in 我们 and 人们.

A group-at-the-door story for a grammatical suffix; neutral-tone men is the normal reading here.

Red 门 = the door where the group gathers.

体 tǐ

body; form

人之根本，先要照顾好自己的身体。

A person beside 本, root: think of the body as your own foundation — 体.

A wellbeing metaphor only; the dictionary's sound-component analysis is not being replaced.

Red 本 = the root/foundation in the body mnemonic.

会 huì

to meet; can; 会, a meeting

人像云一样聚到一起，就是相会。

People drift together like 云 clouds: 会, to meet. In another common use it also means can or know how.

An original gathering image; 云 is not being translated as 'meeting' by itself.

Red 人 = the person gathering above 云.

灯 dēng

lamp; light

一点火立在丁字旁，像一盏小灯。

A small 火 flame beside 丁 looks like a lamp on a stand: 灯.

A shape-and-object picture; modern electric lamps need no flame, and that is fine.

Red 火 = the flame beside the 丁-shaped stand.

烟 yān

smoke; tobacco

火一起，烟就冒出来；火字旁先记住。

Where there is 火 fire, 烟 smoke can follow. The fire radical supplies the scene; 因 sits on the right.

A cause-and-effect memory image, not a claim that every fire is safe or every smoke has the same source.

Red 火 = the fire that suggests rising smoke.

鸟 niǎo

bird

头上有羽冠，眼睛看一点，小鸟站在枝头上。

Read the top strokes as a tiny crest and eye: the profile of 鸟, a bird.

A pictorial observation of the modern silhouette; the red eye/crest strokes are not a whole-bird red fill.

Red crest/eye strokes = the bird's upper details; the body stays ink.

果 guǒ

fruit; result

田里结出果子，挂在木头上。

Only the top and side outline plus one middle horizontal of the 田 shape are red. The shared lower horizontal and central vertical remain ink.

The field shape is only a visual cluster; 果 also means result. Shared lower and central strokes are not forcibly split or recolored.

Red top/side outline + one middle horizontal = the fruit cue; shared lower horizontal and central vertical stay ink.

采 cǎi

to pick; to gather

伸手到木上，采果子、采花。

A hand-shaped top reaches toward 木, a tree: pick or gather, 采.

A picking scene for the modern shape; the top is the modified hand form 爫, not a full separate 手.

Red 爫 = the picking hand above the tree.

睡 shuì

to sleep

眼皮垂下来，目字旁一闭，准备睡觉。

An eye 目 beside 垂, droop: your eyelids droop and you fall asleep, 睡.

A literal eyelid picture; 垂 is a sound cue too, so the story stays a mnemonic.

Red 目 = the eye whose eyelids are drooping.