且

qie

and, moreover

also, furthermore

既...且... both...and...

a box with shelves for and, also and moreover 

女

nu

woman

a woman sitting with here hands on her knees

姐

jie

older/elder sister

姐姐 older sister (reduplicated for address)

大姐 eldest sister or respectful term for young women

空姐 flight attendant (lit. sky sister); 

小姐 Miss (polite) or controversial term for sex workers

a woman who always comes up with new chores with "and-s" and "also-s" is the older sister

纟

si

组

zu

to organize/form

to assemble

group, team, set

thread 纟 [sī] + cutting board/and 且²²⁴[qiě]

silk threads (糸) tied to a wooden stand (且) to create a set (组)—like a structured group bound by shared purpose

礻

shi

to show, to demonstrate

to display, to reveal

the altar (丅) with offerings, dripping down (小), for the ONE (—) demonstrates and shows (示 / 礻) how ancient people wanted to reveal divine will through rituals

祖

zu

ancestor, forefather

A ritual altar (礻) AND a ritual tablet (且) with a list of ancestors like generations on a family tree. That’s 祖: the ones who came before us.

禾

he

grain, cereal

rice plant

A rice stalk is a kind of a tree (木) that hangs its head (丿) as it ripens.

租

zu

to rent, to lease, tax

租房 rent a house; 出租 for rent; 地租 land rent; 租车 rent a car

bags of rice (禾) stacked (且) and carried to a landlord to pay the rent

力

li

force, power, strength

 picture of a plow or tendon, implying strength

助

zhu

to help/assist/aid

助手 assistant; 求助 to seek help

moreover (且) strength (力) helps while assisting in carrying the tablet

木

mu

查

cha

to check/examine to investigate

查字典 look up in a dictionary; 警察 police (lit. alert examiner)

a tree (木) at dawn (旦) is checked whether is for cutting down or not 

宀

mian

宜

yi

suitable, fitting

appropriate, proper

宜人 pleasant (lit. suitable for people)

不宜 inadvisable, not suitable; 适宜 suitable, appropriate;

Under the roof (宀) of the ancestral shrine, a tablet (且) marks what is appropriate (宜)

谊

yi

friendship

情谊 affection / emotional bond; 深厚的谊 deep friendship

speech (讠) that is appropriate (宜) for maintaining friendship