出没 (chū mò) — to appear and disappear; to come and go (often of ghosts, animals, or criminals); to haunt (a place)

Definition

Used for things that appear and disappear unpredictably in a place — wild animals, ghosts, criminals — often implying a lurking presence or danger. Often paired with 常常 or 有 in a 有X出没 structure.

verb
to appear and disappearto come and go (often of ghosts, animals, or criminals)to haunt (a place)

Examples

  • 出没。
    Zhè piàn sēn lín lǐ cháng yǒu yě shòu chū mò.
    Wild beasts often haunt this forest.
  • 出没。
    Chuán shuō nà zuò gǔ zhái yǒu guǐ hún chū mò.
    Legend has it that ghosts haunt that old mansion.
  • ，出没。
    Jǐng fāng tí xǐng shì mín, zhè yí dài yè jiān yǒu xiǎo tōu chū mò.
    The police warn residents that thieves haunt this area at night.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

出chūcome out
没méidisappear

出, meaning come out, and 没, meaning disappear, combine to mean appear and disappear.

Characters in this word

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

出 combines 止 (foot) and 凵 (cave) to show a foot stepping out of a cave.

Open 出 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 沒; 没 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
𠬛
𠬛𠬛沒mò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 沒 pairs 水 (water) with 𠬛 as a sound part; this note is about 沒, not the simplified 没.

Open 没 →

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