TongTong
Sign in

摩登 (mó dēng) — modern, fashionable (especially with retro or nostalgic connotations)

Definition

Borrowed from English 'modern', 摩登 describes a stylish, fashionable look — but in Chinese it usually carries a retro or nostalgic flavor (e.g. 1930s–40s Shanghai), unlike simply 'new'. Often pairs with 老上海 or 民国 imagery.

adjective
modernfashionable (especially with retro or nostalgic connotations)

Examples

  • 摩登，。
    Tā de chuān dā hěn mó dēng, yǒu yì zhǒng lǎo shàng hǎi de wèi dào.
    Her outfit is very modern, with a flavor of old Shanghai.
  • 摩登，。
    Zhè jiān kā fēi guǎn de zhuāng xiū fēng gé fēi cháng mó dēng, ràng rén xiǎng qǐ mín guó shí qī.
    The decoration style of this café is very modern, reminding people of the Republican era.
  • 摩登，。
    Yé ye nián qīng shí shì gè mó dēng qīng nián, zǒng ài chuān xī zhuāng tīng jué shì yuè.
    When grandpa was young, he was a modern youth who always liked to wear suits and listen to jazz.

Origin

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.

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 →

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

  • 癶癶bōleft and right feet
  • 豆豆dòupictogrammic of raised object; stepping stone

登 pairs 癶, left and right feet, with 豆, a raised object or stepping stone; its older form also showed two hands at the bottom, which later dropped.

Open 登 →
Appears in
Appearance

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.