木 (mù) — (bound form) wood; tree; timber; (bound form) wooden; made of wood; (bound form) numb; insensitive; stupid
Definition
A bound morpheme (always part of a compound) with two main uses: the literal 'wood/timber' sense (木头, 木匠), and the figurative 'numb/stiff' sense (麻木). It never stands alone as a word.
bound form
woodtreetimberwoodenmade of woodnumbinsensitivestupid
Easily confused
- 术shùlook-aliketechnique
- 幕mùsound-alike(classifier) act (of a play, opera, or stage performance)
- 本běnlook-alike(classifier) used for books, periodicals, documents, etc.
- 目mùsound-alike(bound form) eye: used in compounds related to vision or the eye (目光, 目前)
- 墓mùsound-alikegrave, tomb, mausoleum
- 穆mùsound-alikerespectful, solemn, dignified (bound form)
Examples
- 。Zhè zhāng zhuō zi shì yòng mù tou zuò de.This table is made of wood.
- 。Tā de tuǐ yǐ jīng má mù le.His leg has become numb.
- 。Zhè wèi mù jiàng shǒu yì hěn hǎo.This carpenter's craftsmanship is very good.
Origin
Pictograph六书liùshū
象形xiàngxíngA drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.
木 is drawn as a tree, with branches above and roots below.
Appears in
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