土

tǔ = tu + Ø3

Tu (ethnic group) / surname Tu

tǔ = tu + Ø3

earth / dust / clay / local / indigenous / crude opium / unsophisticated / one of the eight categories of ancient musical instruments 八音[ba1 yin1]

土 = 十 + 一 : Tommy Turtle (tu) wants to fix a cross (十) on a flute (一) in the space station's living room (Ø3). He uses dust and clay (土) to hold them together.

土 character breakdown

土
- 一
- 十
  - 一
  - 丨

一

yi̅ = y + Ø1

one / single / a (article) / as soon as / entire; whole; all; throughout / "one" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1) / also pr. [yao1] for greater clarity when spelling out numbers digit by digit

Maud Younger (y) forgot her keys to the space station (Ø1), all she brought outside was her flute (一). She has no choice but to crash the door with the giant flute.

十

shí = sh + Ø2

ten / 10

十 = 一 + 丨 : Mnemonic symbol: a holy cross. Sherlock Holmes (sh-) is investigating a very strange thing he found in the kitchen of the space station (-2): A big pyramid made of ten (十) crosses (十), which are in turn made out of flutes (一) and dinosaur bones (丨).

Characters with 土 as component

圣

ku̅ = ku + Ø1

to dig

圣

聖

shèng = sh + (e)ng4

holy / sacred / saint / sage

圣 = 又 + 土 : Mnemonic symbol: Father Christmas, 圣诞老人.

Sherlock Holmes is about to lose against Santa Claus in a boxing match in the engine's bathroom when he uses a dirty trick: lying on the floor he grabs some dirt and throws it into Santa Claus's face, thereby blinding him. Sherlock uses the opportunity to land a critical blow onto Santa Claus's big belly, but Santa doesn't even notice.

圣

shèng = sh + (e)ng4

old variant of 聖|圣[sheng4]

垄

壟

lǒng = lu + (e)ng3

ridge between fields / row of crops / grave mound

垄 = 土 + 龙 : Lenny Lemur (lu) is dead and the dragon (龙) prepares to bury him. He puts him in the center of the engine ((e)ng3) and lines up several rows of crop (垄) next to him. Then the dragon piles up dirt (土) until a sizable grave mound (垄) accumulated. Finally the dragon builds a circular ridge (垄) to separate the grave from the surrounding fields.

⺹

Character component without intrinsic meaning

⺹ = 土 + 丿 : Looks a bit like a crown. The crown is made of three bananas and a bit of clay.

堵

dǔ = du + Ø3

to block up (a road, pipe etc) / to stop up (a hole) / (fig.) (of a person) choked up with anxiety or stress / wall (literary) / (classifier for walls)

堵 = 土 + 者 : Louis XIV (者) built castle walls (堵) out of dirt (土) in the space station (Ø3), but now since the passage through the space station is blocked (堵), every morning when Doggy Dog (du) commutes to work he gets stuck in a traffic jam (堵) caused by the castle walls.

款

kuǎn = ku + an3

section / paragraph / funds / CL:筆|笔[bi3],個|个[ge4] / classifier for versions or models (of a product)

款 = 士 + 欠 + 示 : Karl Koala (ku) took the bachelor (士) out for dinner to the anthill (an3), but yet again he didn't bring enough money so he wants to give the bachelor an IOU note (欠) once more. The bachelor then pulls out a guideon (示) showing that he's a member of some special force, and that Karl Koala, because of his greed, will have to pay a fine (款).

坠

墜

zhuì = zhu + ei4

to fall / to drop / to weigh down

垮

kuǎ = ku + a3

to collapse (lit. or fig.)

垮

kuǎ = ku + a3

to collapse / to break or wear down / to defeat

坡

po̅ = p + o1

slope / CL:個|个[ge4] / sloping / slanted

坡 = 土 + 皮 : Pinocchio (p) is out for a walk in front of the observatory (o1). He thinks that the ground is slanted (坡), but in fact somebody but some clay (土) into his leather shoes (皮) and so it is him who is sloping (坡).

墅

shù = shu + Ø4

villa

墅 = 土 + 野 : Sheldon Shrimp (shu) built a villa (墅) in the space station's bathroom (Ø4). To celebrate he has a picnic (野) on the soil (土) in front of his villa.