默

mò

犬 + 黑

Definitions

mò (adjective) silent; quiet

mò (verb) to write from memory

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 黑 represents the sound and 犬 represents the meaning.

About

默 is a phonosemantic compound: 黑 (hēi) normally means 'black' but here serves only as a sound marker; 犬 (quǎn, 'dog') provides the meaning, evoking a dog's quiet stealth. The character's core sense is 'silent, quiet, tacit', the absence of speech or noise. This original meaning remains dominant today, appearing in numerous compound words that express silence, tacit understanding, and reciting from memory without vocalizing.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Western Jin dynasty (266-316 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

请保持沉默。

Qing bao chi chen mo.

Please remain silent.

他在默读课文。

Ta zai mo du ke wen.

He is reading the text silently.

我们默哀三分钟。

Wo men mo ai san fen zhong.

We observe three minutes of silence.

默认选项是正确的。

Mo ren xuan xiang shi zheng que de.

The default option is correct.

他们之间很有默契。

Ta men zhi jian hen you mo qi.

They have a good understanding between them.

我默默地做完了工作。

Wo mo mo de zuo wan le gong zuo.

I silently finished the work.

老师让我们默写生词。

Lao shi rang wo men mo xie sheng ci.

The teacher asked us to write the new words from memory.

在那种情况下，沉默往往是最好的回答。

Zai na zhong qing kuang xia, chen mo wang wang shi zui hao de hui da.

In that situation, silence is often the best reply.

Related Characters

Component: 犬

Component: 黑

默