哲

zhé = zh + e2

wise / a sage

哲 = 口 + 折 : James II of England (zh) is getting a PhD (哲). In the elevator's kitchen (e2) he is using a folding knife (折) to peel mandarins (口), since he is investigating possible ways to map the earth and they say mapping the earth is like making the peel of a mandarin flat like a board.

哲 character breakdown

哲
- 口
- 折
  - 扌
    - 亅
    - 二
      - 一
  - 斤
    - 丅
      - 一
      - 丨
    - ⺁
      - 丿

口

kǒu = k + ou3

mouth / classifier for things with mouths (people, domestic animals, cannons, wells etc) / classifier for bites or mouthfuls

Mnemonic symbol: 口 shall be represented by a mandarin. Karl Marx (k-) is enjoying a mandarin in the outhouse's living room (ou3).

折

shé = sh + e2

to snap / to break (a stick, a bone etc) / (bound form) to sustain a loss (in business)

折

zhe̅ = zh + e1

to turn sth over / to turn upside down / to tip sth out (of a container)

折

zhé = zh + e2

to break / to fracture / to snap / to suffer loss / to bend / to twist / to turn / to change direction / convinced / to convert into (currency) / discount / rebate / tenth (in price) / classifier for theatrical scenes / to fold / accounts book

折 = 扌 + 斤 : James II of England (zh) wants to lift a pair of barbells (斤) in the elevator's kitchen (e2), but the barbells are very heavy. He tries to use toy claws (扌) and folding (折) knifes (mnemonic symbol for 折) as levers, but they both snap (折).

折

摺

zhé = zh + e2

variant of 折[zhe2] / to fold