You might remember the meaning of the character 离 with this easy mnemonic:
Before you leave the house, remember to close the lid (亠) on the open box (凵) so the cat won't get in the food. Also, slash (丿) your brother's tires so he can't run off and we'll have to track him down again.
Using mnemonics to remember the meaning of Chinese characters like has a huge impact on how long to learn Mandarin it takes.