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摸清 (mō qīng) — to get a clear picture of; to ascertain; to figure out (through investigation or exploration)

Definition

摸清 is a verb-object compound: '摸' (feel out / investigate) + '清' (clearly). It means figuring something out through investigation, so it implies effort and process — not just knowing, but having made the situation clear to yourself.

verb
to get a clear picture ofto ascertainto figure out (through investigation or exploration)

Examples

  • 摸清。
    Wǒ men zhōng yú mō qīng le tā de dǐ xì.
    We finally got a clear picture of his background.
  • ，？
    Zhè me duō shù jù, nǐ mō dé qīng ma?
    With so much data, can you sort it all out?
  • 摸清。
    Tā men huā le sān gè yuè cái mō qīng shì chǎng qíng kuàng.
    It took them three months to get a clear picture of the market situation.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

摸mōfeel
清qīngclear

摸 means feel and 清 means clear, so the word means to feel something out until it becomes clear.

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
莫
莫mò摸mō
Same sound today

摸 pairs 手 (hand) with 莫; 手 shows the meaning is about a hand action, and 莫 gives the sound.

Open 摸 →

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
青
青qīng清qīng
Same sound today

清 has 氵 (water) on the left and 青 on the right to show its sound.

Open 清 →
Appears in
Thinking & Cognition

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