毛 (máo) - hair, fur, feather & wool

毛Tone 2

máo ｜ 4 strokes ｜ radical: 毛

伦妙

毛 · máo

hair, fur, feather;

wool;

coarse, semifinished;

(of currency) to depreciate;

careless, crude;

(of weight) one-tenth of a yuan;

(surname)

hair, fur, featherwoolcoarse, semifinished

Usage highlights

HairBrush penWoolFeatherEyebrowMustache

Synonyms

  • 发— hair (on the head)
  • 羽— feather
  • 毫— fine hair, brush

Antonyms

  • 皮— skin (as opposed to the hair on it)
  • 光— bare, smooth (lacking hair/fur)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The cat has soft fur (猫的毛很软).
  • He is writing with a brush pen (毛笔).
  • There is a feather on the ground (地上有一根毛).
  • This is coarse cloth (这是毛布).

Collocations

  • Hair(毛发)
  • Brush pen(毛笔)
  • Wool(羊毛)
  • Feather(羽毛)
  • Eyebrow(眉毛)
  • Mustache(胡子毛)

Idioms

  • Trifling(鸡毛蒜皮)
  • Many hairs make a fur(积羽沉舟)
  • To work meticulously(毛举细故)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • 毛 is a pictograph of hair or fur, originally depicting animal fur.
  • It is the surname of Mao Zedong, a prominent figure in modern Chinese history.
  • In traditional Chinese medicine, '毛' can refer to body hair and its condition is sometimes linked to health.

FAQ