抚摩 (fǔ mó) — to stroke, to caress (gently, with care)

Definition

抚摩 (fǔmó) means to stroke or caress gently with the hand, usually for comfort or affection. The character 摩 emphasizes the slow, repeated touch — gentler than a single 摸 (mō).

verb
to stroketo caress (gently, with care)

Examples

  • 抚摩。
    Tā qīng qīng de fǔ mó zhe hái zi de tóu fa.
    She gently stroked the child's hair.
  • ，抚摩。
    Tā shēn chū shǒu, fǔ mó le yí xià nà zhī māo.
    He reached out and stroked the cat once.
  • 抚摩。
    Lǎo rén mò mò de fǔ mó zhe nà zhāng jiù zhào piàn.
    The old man silently caressed that old photograph.

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.

抚fǔstroke
摩mórub

抚 and 摩 both involve gentle touching or stroking, so together they mean to caress.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 撫; 抚 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
無
無wú撫fǔ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 撫 pairs 手 (hand) with 無 for the sound; the simplified 抚 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical parts.

Open 抚 →

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
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
麻
麻má摩mó
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

摩 combines 手 (hand) with 麻; the hand part relates to the meaning, and 麻 gives the sound.

Open 摩 →

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