L12

Question 1

傘

Answer 1

UMBRELLA (primitive just top bit) // Top touch, unlike 8 (otherwise you’d get wet.) This one’s multicoloured, and a big golf one.

Question 2

个

Answer 2

INDIVIDUAL // an individual, or rather eccentric, man walks down oxford street with his umbrella and his walking stick. (classifier / measure word)

Question 3

介

(bottom bit only)

Answer 3

CRUTCHES // two verticle lines, pretty obviously crutches (even the crutch has a limp!) - but lines are further apart than sabre, which are lethal sharp

Question 4

介

Answer 4

INTRODUCE // at the international convention for ‘useful tools to use in an attempt to get footballs down from the roof’, crutches take to the podium to introduce umbrella, who flies in from above. quite an introduction!

Question 5

界

Answer 5

WORLD // the world is becoming ever more crowded as new buildings are introduced. here we see a busy field, where high rise buildings are being introduced. before long our world will be over-run.

Question 6

茶

Answer 6

TEA // alongside the leaves, flowers are an important part of tea. one cafe has situated tea tables among the flowers, and are sheltering customers with umbrellas on tall poles

Question 7

亼

Answer 7

MEETING // a massive gathering of people under one umbrella. the multi-coloured umbrella, like a giant teepee, and there they all there on the floor, meeting to decide the future

Question 8

合

Answer 8

FIT // a meeting of mouths. luckily, in most romantic situations, a meeting of mouths is a perfect fit. for some, though, they are mismatched, not a good fit at all.

Question 9

哈!

Answer 9

HA! // a “sound character” for laughter. write it twice, HA HA. laughter fits the mouth perfectly - why else would it be a universal language - the perfect fit

Question 10

塔

Answer 10

PAGODA // on the left is a mound of dirt, on the right some flowers, fit together. these two simple elements have been the building blocks of a ginormous pagoda, petals and mud, who’d of thought they’d fit together so well?

Question 11

王

Answer 11

KING // a king’s sceptre, except this one is king of the jungle, and is a bit of a jangley one, like Rafiki’s

scepter //

jewell //

ball //

Question 12

玉

Answer 12

JADE // a drop in the king’s staff. yes, our meagre jungle king has picked up a jade stone in the mountains and adorned it to his staff

Question 13

宝

Answer 13

TREASURE // somewhere in your own house, a priceless jade statue is hidden. to find it, you find yourself ripping it apart, board by board

Question 14

球

Answer 14

BALL // the batter requests a ball. well… er… what else was the bowler going to throw? Of course he was going to throw a ball. No need to request it.

Question 15

现

Answer 15

PRESENT (adj) // time, and at the present time we can use a crystal ball to see into… oh, it’s useless, you can just see the present.

Question 16

玩

Answer 16

PLAY // in the beginning, a ball game was the first form of play. in fact, the ball was a fruit, an apple, passed back and forth between eve and apple “he picked it” “no, she did”. it’s fun to play!

Question 17

狂

Answer 17

CRAZY // “looney” means driven mad by the light of the moon. normally, for werewolves the experience is only temporary. however, one werewolf is so crazy he’s stuck in the state. to deal with the craziness, he’s made himself king, and even got a were-cape.

Question 18

皇

Answer 18

EMPEROR // something like a king, but higher in status. this one has a white bird who sits on his shoulder, delivering messages to and from god

Question 19

煌

Answer 19

RESPLENDENT // the fire emporer, kicks back in his lair, resplendent in his cape of pure firepower

Question 20

呈

Answer 20

SUBMIT // four and twenty blackbirds “wasn’t this a dainty dish to set before the king” or ‘submit for’ the king. on its presentation, he throws his mouth wide open, oping the blackbird pie will submit to him. but lo…!

Question 21

全

Answer 21

WHOLE // physical and spiritual health, complete. giving order to one’s own life, keeping it whole. imagine if your whole life was contained under an umbrella. you’d be king!

Question 22

理

Answer 22

LOGIC // you think all those circuit boards in the computer do stuff… but no, the real deep logic is a jewell hidden inside the computer. no maths there, just pure natural locic.

Question 23

主

Answer 23

LORD // “a man’s home is his castle” - he’s the lord of the manor. but everyone has at least a drop that they are king of. we are all lord of something.

candlestick // sod the meaning, it looks like a candlestick (brass top, of course)

Question 24

注

Answer 24

POUR // hold yourself steady, and watch everyone marvel, as you pour water from the end of a candlestick. wowee

Question 25

金

Answer 25

GOLD // stacked bars of gold bullion (made - by the way, by melting down kings’ sceptres) are being protected from acid rain by colourful umbrellas

metal // let’s be vaguer

钟 left hand bit

Question 26

钟

Answer 26

BELL // metal in the middle. obviously that’s a bell. in fact, if you had metal in your middle, you’d probably ring at midday too!

Question 27

铜

Answer 27

COPPER // an order of monks are asked to join the police force, the cops. but peacful as they are, they require some serious metal armour. the armory makes them up some copper onesies

Question 28

钓

Answer 28

GO FISHIN’ // the other character similar to this is more pro, wheras this is most definitely the pasttime. as it’s leisure, you may as well use your luxury golden ladle.

Question 29

针

Answer 29

NEEDLE // the primitive for needle on the right derives from this complete picture. so now we’ve got both sides, let’s make them gold needles, sewing for a fussy madam

Question 30

钉

Answer 30

NAIL // it seemed a good idea, this nail made from gold. but gosh darn, every time you hit it now it goes totally out of shape

Question 31

铭

Answer 31

INSCRIPTION // the jeweller can, of course, insribe your name onto a gold ring. but what if you accidentally inscribed the incorrect name? uh oh, inscriptions can be risky

Question 32

镇

Answer 32

AT EASE // the first lie detectors measured sweat on your body using metal plates. true statements produced little sweat. it was sooned fooled, however, by those who remained at ease - they seemed to be entirely true