Chinese Conversation · Level 21
90 words
Chinese word
毛
Pronunciation
Pinyinmáo
Meaning
- nounhair
Example
你衣服上有一根毛。nǐ yī fú shàng yǒu yì gēn máo
There is a hair on your clothes.
More examples
小猫的毛很软。xiǎo māo de máo hěn ruǎn
A kitten's fur is very soft.
Core concept
A tiny unit, appearing as a fine strand on a surface or as one tenth of a yuan in casual money talk.
Common phrases
衣服上的毛yī fú shàng de máo
hair on clothes
小猫的毛xiǎo māo de máo
kitten's fur
Similar words
头发tóu fa: Hair growing from the top of a person's head.
Definition in Chinese
覆盖在动物或人体表面或物体表面的细长纤维或绒毛；口语中也用作货币单位一角（0.1元）的俗称。fù gài zài dòng wù huò rén tǐ biǎo miàn huò wù tǐ biǎo miàn de xì cháng xiān wéi huò róng máo kóu yǔ zhōng yě yòng zuò huò bì dān wèi yì jiǎo 0.1 yuán de sú chēng
Word origin
The early character 毛 (máo, "hair") depicts a few fine strands, whereas the monetary use follows 毫 (háo, "a very small amount"), an older term for a small money unit.
Usage tips
- English can use hair for both a mass and one strand, but the single-strand meaning is often made clear in Chinese with a measure word.