昧 (mèi) — to conceal (in 拾金不昧, 昧心); to go against (one's conscience, in 昧着良心)

Definition

Literary/archaic verb used almost entirely in set phrases like 拾金不昧 and 昧着良心. It is not used alone in modern speech — learn it as part of these fixed expressions.

verb
to conceal (in 拾金不昧, 昧心)to go against (one's conscience, in 昧着良心)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 昧。
    Tā mèi zhe liáng xīn shuō le huǎng.
    He went against his conscience and told a lie.
  • 昧，。
    Tā jiǎn dào qián bāo hòu shí jīn bú mèi, mǎ shàng jiāo gěi le jǐng chá.
    After finding the wallet, she didn't conceal the money and immediately handed it to the police.
  • 昧。
    Tā mèi zhe liáng xīn zuò le jiǎ zhèng.
    He went against his conscience and gave false testimony.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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
日日rìsun; day
Sound part声符shēngfú
未
未wèi昧mèi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape 昧 combines 日 (sun; day) with 未, which gives a clue to its sound.

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