Definitions
mortise (slot cut into wood to receive a tenon); 4th earthly branch: 5–7 a.m., 2nd solar month (6th March–4th April), Year of the Rabbit; ancient Chinese compass point: 90° (east); (coll.) to concentrate one's strength (variant of 鉚|铆[mǎo])
variant of 卯[mǎo]
old variant of 卯[mǎo]
Etymology
Depicts two knives side-by-side. Based on the original meaning "butcher's knife". The current meaning is a phonetic loan.
About
The character "卯" originates as a pictograph representing the ritual splitting of a sacrificial animal into two halves, a form still evident in its symmetrical structure of two facing components. This concrete meaning of splitting or opening extended metaphorically to denote the period of dawn, when the sun seems to cleave the night, leading to its adoption as the fourth of the twelve Earthly Branches, representing the hours of 5-7 AM and the second month of the lunar calendar. Over time, its original sacrificial meaning faded entirely, solidifying its primary function as a cyclical time marker, while its structural form, which is identical in both traditional and simplified scripts, has remained consistent in its depiction of this divided duality.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
他每天卯时起床。
我们要卯足劲工作。
早上点卯很重要。
公司在卯时开始营业。
为了成功，他卯足了全力。
卯时的阳光非常柔和。
虽然很困，但他还是卯时起床了。
在项目最后阶段，团队卯足了劲。