Mnemonic comic for

Translation

zì = z + Ø4: self / oneself / from / since / naturally / surely

Mnemonic

Mnemonic symbol: a hand mirror, which someone uses to look at themselves. The Eye of Providence (目) is looking at itself (自) in a handheld mirror (自) in the space station's bathroom (Ø4). It think it's indeed looking very good, since Zorro (z) attached a petal (丶) to its eye (目).

自 character breakdown

"dot" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 3) / see also 點|点[dian3]

This character shall be represented by a petal (丶) when appearing in other characters.

Julian Giant Squid (zhu) is napping in the space station's living room (Ø3) and hugging a petal (丶).
eye / (literary) to look; to regard / eye (of a net); mesh / mesh size; grit size (abbr. for 目數|目数[mu4 shu4]) / item; section / list; catalogue / (taxonomy) order / name; title

= + : Mnemonic symbol: the Eye of Providence (目).

Malte Monkey (mu-) is unpacking an enclosure (囗) full of capacitors (二). He's afraid that the Eye of Providence (目) will see him, so he does it secretly in the space station's bathroom (-Ø4).

Characters with 自 as component

to reach / when
surname Yuan / (Japanese surname) Hara

= + + : Mnemonic symbol: I like how 原子, literally "original seed", means "atom". I'll represent 原 by 原子弹, an atomic bomb.

= + + : In the anthill's kitchen Yu the Great is modding a chocolate factory into a nuclear chocolate factory by powering it with an atomic bomb. Because it is hard to look inside the bomb through it's small opening, she uses a hand mirror to see inside and connect the wires. She also used a lot of daisies to decorate the bomb and underline her peaceful intentions.
former / original / primary / raw / level / cause / source

= + + : Mnemonic symbol: I like how 原子, literally "original seed", means "atom". I'll represent 原 by 原子弹, an atomic bomb.

= + + : In the anthill's kitchen Yu the Great is modding a chocolate factory into a nuclear chocolate factory by powering it with an atomic bomb. Because it is hard to look inside the bomb through it's small opening, she uses a hand mirror to see inside and connect the wires. She also used a lot of daisies to decorate the bomb and underline her peaceful intentions.
Character component without intrinsic meaning

Mnemonic symbol: a Sherpa, 夏尔巴人. Marie Curie (xi) gives a Sherpa (夏) 100 bucks (𦣻) to play a summer song on his flute (𦣻) and dance on high heels (夂) in the ashram's bathroom (a4).
nose

= + : Mnemonic symbol: a brandy nose.

Brunhilde (bi) was supposed to pass on (畀) the space station's brandy, but nobody came to the space station's entrance (Ø2) pick it up and so Brunhilde drank it all herself. Now as she is looking into her hand mirror (自) she notices that she got a big brandy nose (鼻).
to rest
variant of 憩[qi4]
guidepost / rule / standard / limit / target (old)
hard earth
deflated / shriveled / sunken / empty
variant of 癟|瘪[bie3]

Words with 自

conceited / to take responsibility
to take care of oneself / to provide for oneself
to proclaim oneself (sth) / to give oneself the title of / self-appointed / self-styled / to limit oneself to / to isolate oneself
to console oneself / to masturbate / onanism / masturbation
self-operated / to operate one's own business
Xiushan Miao and Tujia autonomous county in Qianjiang suburbs of Chongqing municipality
to bring one's own / BYO / (of software) preinstalled
to reform oneself / to mend one's ways and start life anew
Friends of Nature (Chinese environmental NGO)
the set of natural numbers (math.)
Fangcheng Various Nationalities Autonomous County in Guangxi (temporary name during 1950s for Fangcheng district 防城區|防城区[Fang2 cheng2 qu1] of Fangchenggang city)
Huzhu Tuzu Autonomous County in Haidong prefecture 海東地區|海东地区[Hai3 dong1 di4 qu1], Qinghai
to spin a cocoon around oneself (idiom); enmeshed in a trap of one's own devising / hoist with his own petard
local autonomy / home rule
Taxkorgan Tajik autonomous county (Tashqurqan Tajik aptonom nahiyisi) in Kashgar prefecture 喀什地區|喀什地区[Ka1 shi2 di4 qu1], west Xinjiang

Sentences with 自

zì
cóng
bì
mǎ
we̅n
lái
cǐ
yǐ
hòu