慕

mù

㣺 + 莫

Definitions

mù (verb) to admire; to long for

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. ⺗ represents the meaning and 莫 represents the sound.

Semantic: ⺗ Phonetic: 莫

About

慕 is a phono-semantic compound: the heart radical ⺗ (a structural variant of 心 at the bottom) provides the meaning, and 莫 provides the sound. The heart links the character to emotions, inner desires, and psychological states. 莫 originally depicted the sun setting into the grass, signifying dusk or nothingness, but in this character it is purely phonetic. The core meaning is deep admiration, yearning, affection, and longing, typically for someone's talents, virtues, or achievements. It frequently appears in compound words expressing idolization, intense respect, or a strong desire to emulate an admired individual.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical Cao Wei (Three Kingdoms: 222-280 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我非常羡慕你。

Wǒ fēicháng xiànmù nǐ.

I admire you very much.

他羡慕她的成功。

Tā xiànmù tā de chénggōng.

He admires her success.

孩子们羡慕英雄。

Háizimen xiànmù yīngxióng.

Children admire heroes.

我仰慕他的勇气。

Wǒ yǎngmù tā de yǒngqì.

I admire his courage.

她对艺术充满爱慕。

Tā duì yìshù chōngmǎn àimù.

She is full of admiration for art.

他的才华让人羡慕。

Tā de cáihuá ràng rén xiànmù.

His talent makes people admire him.

他怀着敬慕的心情参观古迹。

Tā huáizhe jìngmù de xīnqíng cānguān gǔjì.

He visited the historical site with a feeling of reverence.

这种慕求完美的精神值得学习。

Zhè zhǒng mù qiú wánměi de jīngshén zhídé xuéxí.

This spirit of yearning for perfection is worth learning.

Related Characters

Component: 㣺

Component: 莫

慕