Definitions

mud, mire; to paste, to plaster

Etymology phono-semantic

earth

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

is a phono-semantic compound consisting of the earth radical (tǔ) on the left and the phonetic component (mǔ, 'mother') on the right. The radical indicates a semantic association with land, soil, and topography. The character is a proper noun denoting the ancient Chinese location Muye. Because it is not used as a common noun or verb, its occurrences are largely restricted to historical texts, geographical records, and accounts of ancient battles, most prominently the Battle of Muye, and regional divisions.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern