鸿毛 (hóng máo) — goose feather; (fig.) something extremely light or insignificant

Definition

Literally 'goose feather,' used almost always in the set phrase 轻如鸿毛 ('light as a feather') to mean something trivial or insignificant. Not a word you'd say on its own in everyday speech.

noun
goose feather(fig.) something extremely light or insignificant

Examples

  • 鸿毛。
    Tā rèn wéi míng yù qīng rú hóng máo.
    He thinks reputation is as light as a goose feather.
  • 鸿毛，。
    Niǎo de hóng máo hěn qīng, dàn duì wǒ lái shuō hěn zhòng yào.
    A bird's feather is very light, but it's important to me.
  • ，鸿毛。
    Duì yú tā lái shuō, zhè diǎn qián qīng rú hóng máo.
    For him, this small amount of money is as light as a goose feather.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

鸿hónggoose
毛máofeather

鸿 names the goose and 毛 names a feather, so the word denotes a goose feather.

Characters in this word

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 鴻; 鸿 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
鳥鳥niǎobird
Sound part声符shēngfú
江
江jiāng鴻hóng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 鴻 pairs 鳥 (bird) with 江 as a sound part; the simplified 鸿 is a later shorthand.

Open 鸿 →

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

毛 is drawn as a feather or hair, with its strokes tracing the shape of the feather or hair.

Open 毛 →

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