衣

yi

clothes, clothing, dress

an upper-body dress with sleeves attached on a hanger

刀

dao

初

chu

first, original

initial; early

clothes [yi] + knife (dao)

the fabric is cut first during the initial phase in creating clothes

被

bei

quilt, blanket;

<passive indicator> by

clothes 衤=衣 [yī] + skin 皮¹⁸⁹[pí]

If you wear clothes (衤) made with animals skins (皮), you look like you are swathed in a blanket; the dead animal was stripped of its skin BY the human beings.

The subject that appears in front of “被” is a recipient of the action that follows

毛

mao

hair, fur, feather

picture of a feather, or a hair and fur growing out of body/stem 

表

biao

surface; outward appearance

to show/manifest

/express; a watch

hair 毛¹⁸⁸[máo] + clothes 衣 [yī]

the chinchilla fur (毛) on the clothes (衣) makes the surface look soft and warm, and shows the financial status of the owner  It came to mean ‘watch’ because it is worn on the wrist and is very visible.

农

nong

agriculture; farming

farmer

cover 冖¹⁶⁹[mì] + clothes →衣 [yī]

a wide-brimmed hat (冖) and long-sleeved clothes (衣) is what a farmer wears while he is working in agriculture

寸

cun

inch; joint

hand

衬

chen

to line, to contrast

lining (postava)

underwear, undergarment

clothe 衤=衣 [yī] + hand/joint/inch 寸⁴⁰[cùn]

a piece of clothing (衤) carefully measured in inches (寸) and sewn to line or support another piece

衫

shan

shirt, robe

unlined upper garment

clothe 衤=衣 [yī] + decorate/hair 彡⁸[shàn]

a piece of clothe (衤) with flowing hairy fabric 彡 combined to form a soft, stylish shirt