母

mǔ

HSK 3.0Level 6

Definitions

mǔ (noun) mother

mǔ (noun,adjective) female (of animals)

mǔ (noun) source; origin

Etymology

Pictograph of a woman kneeling, with two dots representing the two nipples that mothers use to feed their young.

About

The character 母, meaning "mother", derives from 女 (nǚ), a pictograph of a kneeling woman, with two dots added on the chest to represent the nipples and emphasize nursing and maternity. From this primary sense, it extended to signify source, origin, or foundation, appearing in compounds for native languages, basic materials, and central hubs from which other things develop.

Etymology Hide

Oracle etymology image

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Oracle etymology image

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Oracle etymology image

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Late Shang dynasty (~1100 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Mid Warring States (~300 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Warring States (475-221 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我的母亲很善良。

Wǒ de mǔqīn hěn shànliáng.

My mother is very kind.

父母都很关心我。

Fùmǔ dōu hěn guānxīn wǒ.

Both parents care about me.

字母表有26个字母。

Zìmǔbiǎo yǒu èrshíliù gè zìmǔ.

The alphabet has 26 letters.

我的母语是汉语。

Wǒ de mǔyǔ shì Hànyǔ.

My native language is Chinese.

母乳对婴儿很好。

Mǔrǔ duì yīng'ér hěn hǎo.

Breast milk is very good for babies.

母鸡在院子里找食物。

Mǔjī zài yuànzi lǐ zhǎo shíwù.

The hen is looking for food in the yard.

母校举办了一场校友会。

Mǔxiào jǔbàn le yī chǎng xiàoyǒuhuì.

The alma mater held an alumni meeting.

母亲节那天，我给母亲送了礼物。

Mǔqīnjié nà tiān, wǒ gěi mǔqīn sòng le lǐwù.

On Mother's Day, I gave my mother a gift.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 母

Example Words