Radical 巾

9 strokes

帶

thirty (429a) + sash (429b) = belt 带

[地带 (54) dìdài zone]

(In the embassy laundry) at the end of each month they had to wash thirty sashes for the ambassador, a different one for each day. “Why can’t he just wear a belt?” the laundry worker complained. / The dwarf (supervisor) told him that they were all dyed different colors (and it was important for protocol reasons to have the right one for each occasion).

cover 冖 (82a) + towel 巾 (427a) = sash

The ambassador had just had a shower, and so was covered only in a towel when the doorbell rang. But at least he put on his sash before answering the door! / [No pronunciation needed]