目 (mù) — (bound form) eye: used in compounds related to vision or the eye (目光, 目前); (bound form) item; section; list; catalog: used in compounds like 目录, 项目; (bound form, literary) to look; to regard; also in 目标 (goal)
Definition
目 is a bound form (never used alone) meaning 'eye' or 'item'. It appears in compounds like 目光 (gaze), 目录 (catalog), 目标 (goal), and 目前 (current).
bound form
eye: used in compounds related to vision or the eye (目光, 目前)itemsectionlistcatalog: used in compounds like 目录, 项目(bound form, literary) to lookto regardalso in 目标 (goal)
Easily confused
- 日rìlook-alikesun
- 木mùsound-alike(bound form) wood; tree; timber
- 曰yuēlook-aliketo say (archaic/literary, used in classical texts and formal quotations)
- 幕mùsound-alike(classifier) act (of a play, opera, or stage performance)
- 墓mùsound-alikegrave, tomb, mausoleum
- 穆mùsound-alikerespectful, solemn, dignified (bound form)
Examples
- 。Tā de mù guāng hěn wēn róu.His gaze is very gentle.
- 。Qǐng zài wǎng shàng chá yí xià mù lù.Please check the catalog online.
- 。Wǒ men shè lì le yí gè cháng qī de mù biāo.We set a long-term goal.
Origin
Pictograph六书liùshū
象形xiàngxíngA drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.
目 began as a drawing of a human eye, turned sideways.
Appears in
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