牧 (mù) — to herd, to tend (livestock) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A bound morpheme meaning 'to herd / graze livestock,' almost always appearing inside compounds like 牧羊 or 牧业 rather than standing alone.

bound form

to herdto tend (livestock)

。
Zhè piàn cǎo chǎng shì yòng lái mù yáng de.
This grassland is used for grazing sheep.
。
Tā zài shān jiǎo xià mù yáng.
He herds sheep at the foot of the mountain.
。
Zhè ge dì qū zhǔ yào yǐ mù yè wéi shēng.
This region mainly makes a living through animal husbandry.

Compound ideograph

六书liùshū

会意huìyì

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

牧 puts 牛 (cow) beside 攴 (a whip), showing someone herding cattle.

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