牧 (mù) — to herd, to tend (livestock)
Definition
A bound morpheme meaning 'to herd / graze livestock,' almost always appearing inside compounds like 牧羊 or 牧业 rather than standing alone.
bound form
to herdto tend (livestock)
Easily confused
- 枚méilook-alike(classifier) for small, flat, or round objects (coins, rings, badges, medals, pearls, etc.)
- 木mùsound-alike(bound form) wood; tree; timber
- 幕mùsound-alike(classifier) act (of a play, opera, or stage performance)
- 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 piàn cǎo chǎng shì yòng lái mù yáng de.This grassland is used for grazing sheep.
- 。Tā zài shān jiǎo xià mù yáng.He herds sheep at the foot of the mountain.
- 。Zhè ge dì qū zhǔ yào yǐ mù yè wéi shēng.This region mainly makes a living through animal husbandry.
Origin
Compound ideograph六书liùshū
会意huìyìTwo or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.
- 牛牛niúcow
- 攴攴pūa whip
牧 puts 牛 (cow) beside 攴 (a whip), showing someone herding cattle.
Appears in
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