埋

mái, mán

土 + 里

HSK 3.0Level 6

Definitions

mái (verb) to bury

mán (verb) to blame; to complain

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 土 represents the meaning and 里 represents the sound.

Semantic: 土 Phonetic: 里

About

埋 is a phonosemantic compound: the radical 土 (earth) on the left indicates the meaning, while 里 on the right provides the sound. The earth radical points to the primary physical action of burying something underground or covering it with soil. From this literal sense, the character extended figuratively to concealing objects, hiding things from view, and suppressing feelings or thoughts so they remain unnoticed.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

他把种子埋在土里。

Tā bǎ zhǒngzi mái zài tǔ lǐ.

He buried the seeds in the soil.

小狗把骨头埋起来。

Xiǎo gǒu bǎ gǔtou mái qǐlái.

The dog buried the bone.

他们埋葬了去世的宠物。

Tāmen máizàng le qùshì de chǒngwù.

They buried the deceased pet.

士兵们在树林里埋伏。

Shìbīngmen zài shùlín lǐ máifú.

The soldiers ambushed in the forest.

他的才华被埋没了。

Tā de cáihuá bèi máimò le.

His talent was buried/neglected.

她把秘密深深地埋在心底。

Tā bǎ mìmì shēnshēn de mái zài xīndǐ.

She buried the secret deep in her heart.

这座城市埋藏着古老的历史。

Zhè zuò chéngshì máicáng zhe gǔlǎo de lìshǐ.

This city buries ancient history.

为了不被发现，他们连夜把证据埋在了荒郊野外。

Wèile bù bèi fāxiàn, tāmen liányè bǎ zhèngjù mái zài le huāngjiāo yěwài.

To avoid being discovered, they buried the evidence in the wilderness overnight.

Related Characters

Component: 土

Component: 里

埋