冒汗 (mào hàn) — to sweat, to perspire | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A vivid verb for sweating — 'break out in a sweat'. The first character 冒 conveys the sudden appearance of sweat on the skin, often from heat, nervousness, or fear.

verb

to sweatto perspire

Examples

冒汗。
Tā pǎo wán bù hòu quán shēn mào hàn.
After running, he was sweating all over.
，。
Jīn tiān tài rè le, wǒ mào le yì shēn hàn.
It's so hot today that I broke out in a sweat all over.
，冒汗。
Bié jǐn zhāng, yì jǐn zhāng jiù róng yì mào hàn.
Don't be nervous — when you're nervous, you tend to sweat.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

冒 (emit) and 汗 (sweat) combine to mean giving off sweat.

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.

冃目冒

Meaning part形符xíngfú

目目mùeyes

Sound part声符shēngfú

冃

冃mào冒mào

Same sound today

冒 was built from 冃, a hat used for the sound, plus 目, eyes, as the meaning part.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

干

干gān汗hàn

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

汗 has 水, the water form, beside 干; 水 relates to liquid sweat, while 干 gives the sound.

Appears in

Illness & Symptoms

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