睦

mù

坴 + 目

Definitions

mù (adjective) amicable; harmonious

Etymology

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

Semantic: 目 Phonetic: 坴

About

睦 is a phonosemantic compound combining the semantic component 目 (eye) on the left and the phonetic component 坴 (lù) on the right. The eye radical typically indicates vision or looking, but here it represents the act of gazing at someone with kindness and peace. This literal expression of friendliness later extended to signify harmony, mutual affection, and peaceful relations, particularly within families or close communities. The character conveys social cohesion and amity, a condition where people coexist without conflict.

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