Definitions

(noun) mother
(noun,adjective) female (of animals)
(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 derives from an early pictograph of a woman emphasizing breasts to convey the idea of a nursing mother, which solidified into the traditional form featuring the woman radical 女 augmented by two dots representing breasts. While its core denotation as 'mother' has remained stable, the character has broadened semantically to function in compound words indicating female gender or the originating principle of an entity, such as in terms for mother tongue or alma mater, thereby extending its conceptual reach from the familial into the abstract realms of origin and essence.

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

我的亲很善良。

Wǒ de mǔqīn hěn shànliáng.

My mother is very kind.

都很关心我。

Fùmǔ dōu hěn guānxīn wǒ.

Both parents care about me.

表有26个字

Zìmǔbiǎo yǒu èrshíliù gè zìmǔ.

The alphabet has 26 letters.

我的语是汉语。

Wǒ de mǔyǔ shì Hànyǔ.

My native language is Chinese.

乳对婴儿很好。

Mǔrǔ duì yīng'ér hěn hǎo.

Breast milk is very good for babies.

鸡在院子里找食物。

Mǔjī zài yuànzi lǐ zhǎo shíwù.

The hen is looking for food in the yard.

校举办了一场校友会。

Mǔxiào jǔbàn le yī chǎng xiàoyǒuhuì.

The alma mater held an alumni meeting.

亲节那天,我给亲送了礼物。

Mǔqīnjié nà tiān, wǒ gěi mǔqīn sòng le lǐwù.

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