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莫过于 (mò guò yú) — (fixed phrase) nothing is more ... than; there is nothing better/worse than

Definition

A written set phrase meaning 'nothing is more … than' — used to single out the best, worst, or most extreme example in a comparison. Tone is formal and literary, uncommon in everyday speech.

verb
(fixed phrase) nothing is more ... thanthere is nothing better/worse than

Examples

  • ，莫过于。
    Rén shēng zuì dà de xìng fú, mò guò yú jiā tíng hé mù.
    The greatest happiness in life is nothing more than family harmony.
  • ，莫过于。
    Xué xí rèn hé yǔ yán, zuì zhòng yào de mò guò yú chí zhī yǐ héng.
    When learning any language, the most important thing is nothing more than perseverance.
  • ，莫过于。
    Duì hái zi lái shuō, fù mǔ de péi bàn mò guò yú ān xīn.
    For children, nothing is more reassuring than their parents' company.

Origin

Characters in this word

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

The shape of 莫 shows a sun sinking into bushes, meaning dusk.

Open 莫 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 過; 过 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
辵辵chuòwalk
Sound part声符shēngfú
咼
咼wāi過guò
Same sound today

The traditional form 過 pairs 辵 (walk) with 咼 as a sound component; the simplified 过 is a shorthand, and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 过 →

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

  • 一一yīflat stream of air
  • 丂丂kǎoto exhale

The old shape of 于 may have pictured an ancient wind instrument. Another explanation reads 一 as a flat stream of air and 丂 as an exhaling mark.

Open 于 →

Grammar

Appears in
Comparison & Degree

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