Chinese word

模糊

Pronunciation

Pinyinmó hú

Meaning

  • adjectivevague

Example

他的说法很模糊，我听不懂。tā de shuō fǎ hěn mó hú wǒ tīng bù dǒng

His wording is very vague, so I don't understand.

Illustration for 模糊 (vague)

More examples

照片上的人像有点模糊，看不清五官。zhào piān shàng de rén xiàng yóu diǎn mó hú kàn bù qīng wǔ guān

The person in the photo is slightly blurred, so I can't see their facial features clearly.

Core concept

An outline or idea loses its sharp edges, so details and boundaries merge instead of standing apart.

Common phrases

  • 模糊不清mó hú bù qīng

    unclear

  • 照片模糊zhào piān mó hú

    blurred

  • 记忆模糊jì yì mó hú

    vague

Similar words

含糊hán hú: Vague because an utterance or explanation lacks specific content or a clear basis.
朦胧méng lóng: Hazy because of mist or dim light, so an object's outline is hard to see.
模棱两可mó léng liáng kě: Open to two or more interpretations, so no clear judgment can be made.
不清楚bù qīng chǔ: Not clear enough to understand or judge information or an explanation.

Definition in Chinese

指视觉上看不清或界线不明确，也可用于表示概念、记忆等的细节不清晰或含糊不清。zhǐ shì jué shàng kàn bù qīng huò jiè xiàn bù míng què yě kě yòng yú biǎo shì gài niàn jì yì děng de xì jié bù qīng xī huò hán hú bù qīng

Word origin

模糊 (móhú, "vague") is a descriptive compound of 模 (mó, "form") + 糊 (hú, "paste"), with 糊 also suggesting something muddled or coated so its form is hard to distinguish.

Usage tips

  • In conversation, the noun after this adjective often shows whether the lack of clarity concerns visual focus, a statement, a memory, or a boundary.

Other meanings

  • blurryadjective
  • unclearadjective

Opposites

Related words

  • 模糊化mó hú huàblurverb
  • 模糊性mó hú xìngambiguitynoun

Word lists with this word