嘴上无毛，办事不牢

• 口(mouth; opening)RADICAL
• 觜(beak; bill)PHONETIC

A person's mouth is like a bird's beak, used for eating and speaking.

• ⺊(dot above; high position)ASSOCIATIVE
• 一(standard baseline; norm)ASSOCIATIVE

A dot mark sitting above a horizontal line represents the meaning 'above'.

• 一(one; initial)ASSOCIATIVE
• 尢(disabled person; insufficient)ASSOCIATIVE

From the beginning there was a shortage, so 無 means 'nothing at all'.

• 毛(hair; feather)ASSOCIATIVE

The character 毛 draws soft hair strands drooping down from skin.

• 力(strength; power)RADICAL
• 八(eight; spread out in two directions)ASSOCIATIVE

Work requires strength radiating in many directions like two diverging strokes.

• ⼅(hook; fishhook)RADICAL
• 口(mouth; speech)ASSOCIATIVE
• 彐(hand holding brush)ASSOCIATIVE

Using your hand to hold a brush and write down important spoken words from beginning to end is work.

• 不(no; not; negation)ASSOCIATIVE

A bird flying swiftly upward and never willing to return represents the meaning of swift and unyielding.

• 宀(roof; shelter)RADICAL
• 牛(cattle; ox; buffalo)ASSOCIATIVE

Penning cattle and oxen under a roof creates a sturdy, solid pen.