日新月异 (rìxīnyuèyì) · changing with each passing day

日 rì · day

What 日 is made of

• 口kǒu — mouth
  • 冂 — frame
    • 丨 — vertical stroke
  • 一 — horizontal stroke
• 一 — horizontal stroke

Origin hint: The sun (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)

新 xīn · new

What 新 is made of

• 亲qīn — relatives
  • 立lì — to stand
    • 亠tóu — lid
    • 丷ha — kwukyel
    • 一 — horizontal stroke
  • 一 — horizontal stroke
  • 小xiǎo — small
    • 亅 — hook
    • 八bā — eight
• 斤jīn — a catty (about 500 grams)
  • 厂chǎng — cliff
  • 下xià — down

Origin hint: A freshly chopped 斤 tree 亲 (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)

月 yuè · month

What 月 is made of

• 冂 — frame
  • 丨 — vertical stroke
• 二 — two strokes
  • 一 — horizontal stroke
  • 一 — horizontal stroke

Origin hint: A crescent moon (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)

异 yì · different

What 异 is made of

• 巳sì — the hours from 9 to 11
  • 乚 — hook stroke
• 廾gǒng — two hands