默 (mò) — silent; tacit; to write from memory

Definition

默 is a bound form that only appears in compounds — it never stands alone. In 沉默 it means 'silent'; in 默写 it means 'write from memory'; in 默认 it means 'by default'.

bound form
silenttacitto write from memory
Easily confused

Examples

  • ，。
    Tā chén mò bù yǔ, shén me dōu méi shuō.
    He remained silent and didn't say anything.
  • 默。
    Jīn tiān wǒ men yào mò xiě zuó tiān xué de kè wén.
    Today we will write the text from memory that we learned yesterday.
  • 。
    Xì tǒng mò rèn le zhè ge shè zhì.
    The system defaulted to this setting.

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
犬犬quǎndog
Sound part声符shēngfú
黑
黑hēi默mò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

默 pairs 黑 with 犬 (dog), and 黑 gives the sound.

Appears in
Communication & SpeechReading & Writing

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