墓

mù

土 + 莫

HSK 3.0Level 7

Definitions

mù (noun) grave; tomb

Etymology

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

Semantic: 土 Phonetic: 莫

About

墓 is a phono-semantic compound: the radical 土 ('earth') conveys the meaning of soil or ground, while 莫 indicates the pronunciation. It denotes a grave, tomb, or burial mound, the place where a body is interred in the earth. The term covers a range of burial sites, from simple inhumations to mounded tombs and graveyards, and the structures that house the dead. Its meaning stays concrete, referring only to physical burial places without abstract extensions.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

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

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

他去墓地看望亲人。

Tā qù mùdì kànwàng qīnrén.

He went to the graveyard to visit his family.

清明节我们去扫墓。

Qīngmíng jié wǒmen qù sǎo mù.

We go to sweep the tombs on Tomb-Sweeping Day.

这座古墓的历史很悠久。

Zhè zuò gǔ mù de lìshǐ hěn yōujiǔ.

This ancient tomb has a very long history.

秦始皇陵墓是世界文化遗产。

Qín Shǐhuáng língmù shì shìjiè wénhuà yíchǎn.

The Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor is a World Cultural Heritage site.

考古学家正在发掘一座汉墓。

Kǎogǔ xuéjiā zhèngzài fājué yī zuò Hàn mù.

Archaeologists are excavating a Han Dynasty tomb.

烈士墓前摆满了鲜花。

Lièshì mù qián bǎi mǎn le xiānhuā.

The martyr's tomb is covered with fresh flowers.

墓园里安详而肃穆。

Mùyuán lǐ ānxiáng ér sùmù.

The cemetery is tranquil and solemn.

这些石像生是皇陵墓道的守卫。

Zhèxiē shíxiàngshēng shì huánglíng mùdào de shǒuwèi.

These stone statues are the guards of the imperial tomb passageway.

Related Characters

Component: 土

Component: 莫

墓