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

unable to restrain emotions / cannot help
to ask oneself honestly / to search in one's heart
happy and content (idiom)
to repent and start afresh (idiom); to turn over a new leaf
(idiom) to do (sth) with great aplomb
Nujiang Lisu autonomous prefecture in northwest Yunnan, capital Liuku or Lutku 六庫鎮|六库镇[Liu4 ku4 zhen4]
Gongcheng Yao autonomous county in Guilin 桂林[Gui4 lin2], Guangxi
unable to control one's grief (idiom); overwrought / overcome with sorrow / heartbroken
to handle matters with ease (idiom) / to hold one's own
to ask for trouble / to bring misfortune on oneself
to move a stone and stub one's toe / to shoot oneself in the foot (idiom)
to alarm oneself unnecessarily (idiom)
Xunhua Salazu autonomous county in Haidong prefecture 海東地區|海东地区[Hai3 dong1 di4 qu1], Qinghai
Dehong Dai and Jingpo autonomous prefecture in west Yunnan, surrounded on three sides by Myanmar (Burma), capital Luxi 潞西市
Nujiang Lisu autonomous prefecture in northwest Yunnan, capital Liuku or Lutku 六庫鎮|六库镇[Liu4 ku4 zhen4]

Sentences with 自

zì
cóng
bì
mǎ
we̅n
lái
cǐ
yǐ
hòu