睦

mù

坴 + 目

Frequency#3019

Definitions

mù (adjective) amicable; harmonious

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 目 represents the meaning and 坴 represents the sound.

Semantic: 目 Phonetic: 坴

About

The character 睦, structured with the semantic component 目 meaning "eye" and the phonetic component 坴, originally conveyed meanings related to visual appearance or expression, such as describing a gentle or agreeable look in early textual contexts. Over centuries, its semantic range shifted from these literal visual connotations toward abstract notions of interpersonal harmony and amicable relations, evident in its modern use in compounds like 和睦. This evolution reflects how the character's composition, with the eye element, initially anchored it in physical perception before it acquired its predominant meaning of social concord.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

家庭和睦最重要。

Jiātíng hémù zuì zhòngyào.

Family harmony is the most important.

邻里之间要和睦。

Línlǐ zhī jiān yào hémù.

Neighbors should be harmonious.

他们相处得很和睦。

Tāmen xiāngchǔ de hěn hémù.

They get along very harmoniously.

我国坚持睦邻友好政策。

Wǒ guó jiānchí mùlín yǒuhǎo zhèngcè.

Our country adheres to a good-neighborly foreign policy.

为了促进社区和睦，我们举办了活动。

Wèile cùjìn shèqū hémù, wǒmen jǔbànle huódòng.

To promote community harmony, we organized an activity.

只有相互理解，才能实现真正的和睦。

Zhǐyǒu xiānghù lǐjiě, cáinéng shíxiàn zhēnzhèng de hémù.

Only through mutual understanding can true harmony be achieved.

国际社会倡导睦邻合作，共同发展。

Guójì shèhuì chàngdǎo mùlín hézuò, gòngtóng fāzhǎn.

The international community advocates for good-neighborly cooperation and common development.

通过对话与协商，两国建立了长期睦邻互信关系。

Tōngguò duìhuà yǔ xiéshāng, liǎng guó jiànlìle chángqī mùlín hùxìn guānxì.

Through dialogue and consultation, the two countries have established a long-term good-neighborly relationship of mutual trust.

Related Characters

Component: 坴

Component: 目

睦