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魔 (mó) — evil spirit; demon; monster; magic; mystic

Definition

魔 is a bound morpheme meaning 'demon, evil spirit' or 'magic/magical'. It only appears in compounds like 魔鬼 (demon), 魔法 (magic), 魔术 (magic trick) — never alone.

bound form
evil spiritdemonmonstermagicmystic

Examples

  • 。
    Tā fēi cháng hài pà mó guǐ.
    He is very afraid of demons.
  • 。
    Zhè bù diàn yǐng jiǎng de shì mó fǎ shì jiè de gù shi.
    This movie tells a story about a magic world.
  • 。
    Tā xué huì le yí gè jiǎn dān de mó shù.
    He learned a simple magic trick.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
鬼鬼guǐdemon
Sound part声符shēngfú
麻
麻má魔mó
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

魔 pairs 鬼, meaning demon, with 麻, which gives the sound.

Appears in
Mythology & Folklore2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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