貌 (mào) — appearance; looks; outward form (bound form)

Definition

A bound form meaning 'appearance' that only appears in compounds like 面貌 or 外貌. Don't confuse with 貌 (mó) in 以貌取人, where the bound form conveys looks, not personality.

bound form

appearancelooksoutward form (bound form)

Examples

。
Tā de miàn mào hěn hé ǎi.
His facial expression is very kind.
。
Yí gè rén de wài mào bìng bú zhòng yào.
A person's appearance is not important.
。
Zhè ge chéng shì de miàn mào fā shēng le hěn dà biàn huà.
The face of this city has undergone great changes.

Origin

Sound + meaning

六书liùshū

形声xíngshēng

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú

皃皃màolooks

Sound part声符shēngfú

豹

豹bào貌

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

貌 uses 皃, an older picture of a face, to show looks, and 豹 as a sound part.

Appears in

Appearance

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