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毫毛 (háo máo) — soft hair (on the body)

Definition

Literary word for the soft, fine hair on the human body. In modern use it appears almost only in the set phrase 一根毫毛, meaning 'a single hair' — emphasizing how tiny or undamaged something is.

noun
soft hair (on the body)
Measure word · 根

Examples

  • 毫毛。
    Chē huò méi shāng wǒ yì gēn háo máo.
    The car accident didn't hurt me at all.
  • 毫毛。
    Zhè jiàn shì gēn tā yì gēn háo máo guān xì dōu méi yǒu.
    This matter has nothing to do with him at all.
  • 毫毛。
    Tā xià dé yì gēn háo máo dōu méi gǎn dòng.
    He was so scared that he didn't dare move a single hair.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

毫háofine hair
毛máohair

毫 means fine hair and 毛 means hair, both referring to body hair.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

The written form 毫 is built from 高 and 毛.

Open 毫 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

毛 is drawn as a feather or hair, with its strokes tracing the shape of the feather or hair.

Open 毛 →
Appears in
Body Parts

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