默默 (mò mò) — silently; quietly; without speaking | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

默默 means doing something 'silently, without speaking' — focused on quietness rather than secrecy. Unlike 悄悄 ('quietly / stealthily'), 默默 implies silent endurance or quiet support, not sneaking.

adverb

silentlyquietlywithout speaking

Examples

默默。
Tā mò mò de zuò zài jiǎo luò lǐ kàn shū.
He sat silently in the corner reading a book.
默默。
Tā mò mò de zhī chí zhe zhàng fu de shì yè.
She silently supports her husband's career.
默默。
Dà jiā mò mò de tīng zhe lǎo shī de jiǎng jiě.
Everyone listened silently to the teacher's explanation.

Origin

Reduplicated word

构词法gòucífǎ

重叠chóngdiéReduplication

A syllable said twice — for affection, for softness, or simply because that is how the word is said.

默mòsilent

默mòsilent

默 means silent, and the repetition gives a quiet, silent manner.

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.

黑犬默

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

黑

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.

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

黑犬默

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

黑

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

HSK 3.0 Level 6 HSK 2.0 Level 6

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