寒毛 (hán máo) — fine body hair, vellus hair (the barely visible hair on human skin)

Definition

The fine, nearly invisible body hair that "stands on end" — almost always appears in the idiom 寒毛竖起 ('hair standing on end') when you are scared or chilled.

noun
fine body hairvellus hair (the barely visible hair on human skin)
Measure word · 根

Examples

  • 寒毛，。
    Tā gē bo shàng de hán máo hěn xì, jī hū kàn bú jiàn.
    The fine hair on his arms is very thin, almost invisible.
  • ，寒毛。
    Kàn dào nà ge kǒng bù diàn yǐng, wǒ xià dé hán máo dōu shù qǐ lái le.
    Watching that horror movie, I was so scared my hair stood on end.
  • ，寒毛。
    Dōng tiān lěng fēng yì chuī, hán máo jiù lì qǐ lái le.
    When the cold wind blows in winter, the fine hairs on your body stand up.

Origin

Characters in this word

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

  • 宀宀miánhouse
  • 人人rénperson
  • 茻茻mǎnggrass

寒 shows 宀 (house), 人 (person), and 茻 (grass): a person sleeping in grass inside a house to keep out the cold.

Open 寒 →

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 →

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