牧马 (mù mǎ) — to herd horses; to tend horses

Definition

A separable verb meaning to herd or pasture horses. Used literally on grasslands or ranching contexts; the horses being tended is built into the word, not an object.

verb
to herd horsesto tend horses
Easily confused

Examples

  • 牧马。
    Tā zài cǎo yuán shàng mù mǎ.
    He herds horses on the grassland.
  • 。
    Tā mù le sān tiān mǎ cái huí lái.
    He herded horses for three days before coming back.
  • ，。
    Wǒ cóng lái méi mù guò mǎ, dàn hěn xiǎng shì shì.
    I've never herded horses before, but I'd really like to try.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

牧mùherd
马mǎhorse

The 牧 is directed at 马, herding horses.

Characters in this word

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

牧 puts 牛 (cow) beside 攴 (a whip), showing someone herding cattle.

Open 牧 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 馬; 马 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 馬 shows a horse with its head facing left, a flowing mane, and two legs standing vertically.

Open 马 →

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