毒

dú

母 + 龶

HSK 3.0Level 6

Definitions

dú (noun,adjective) poison; toxic; poisonous

dú (adjective) cruel; malicious

dú (verb) to poison

dú (noun) narcotics; drugs

Etymology

Depicts a plant (屮) that is not good (毐), i.e. a poisonous plant.

Semantic: 龶 Phonetic: 母

About

The character 毒 combines the plant component 屮 with 毐, meaning "not good" or "evil", to represent a poisonous plant. Its primary sense is a physical toxin, venom, or substance that causes severe harm or death upon contact or ingestion. This extends metaphorically to malicious intentions, extreme cruelty, corrosive ideologies, and any deeply destructive force within a social or psychological environment.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这种蘑菇有毒。

Zhè zhǒng mógu yǒu dú.

This mushroom is poisonous.

毒品对健康有害。

Dúpǐn duì jiànkāng yǒuhài.

Drugs are harmful to health.

病毒传播得很快。

Bìngdú chuánbō dé hěn kuài.

The virus spreads quickly.

他中毒被送医院。

Tā zhòngdú bèi sòng yīyuàn.

He was poisoned and sent to the hospital.

这种毒药非常危险。

Zhè zhǒng dúyào fēichāng wēixiǎn.

This poison is very dangerous.

科学家在研究解毒方法。

Kēxuéjiā zài yánjiū jiědú fāngfǎ.

Scientists are researching detoxification methods.

环境污染会导致土壤有毒。

Huánjìng wūrǎn huì dǎozhì tǔrǎng yǒu dú.

Environmental pollution can cause soil to be toxic.

这种化学物质有剧毒，必须小心处理。

Zhè zhǒng huàxué wùzhì yǒu jùdú, bìxū xiǎoxīn chǔlǐ.

This chemical substance is highly toxic and must be handled carefully.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 母

Component: 龶

毒