Chinese word

磨

Pronunciation

Pinyinmó

Meaning

  • verbpolish

Example

他每天用布磨鞋子。tā měi tiān yòng bù mó xié zi

He uses a cloth to polish his shoes every day.

Illustration for 磨 (polish)

More examples

多年的挫折磨练了他的意志。duō nián de cuò zhé mó liàn le tā de yì zhì

Years of setbacks tempered his will.

Core concept

Work applied again and again leaves a lasting change: a rough surface becomes smooth, an edge becomes keen, or a skill becomes more developed.

Common phrases

  • 磨练mó liàn

    temper

  • 磨砺mó lì

    hone

Similar words

擦cā: Rubbing with a hand or cloth removes dirt from a surface.
刷shuā: Moving a brush or cleaning tool back and forth removes dirt from a surface.
揉róu: Pressing and turning something by hand makes it softer.
刮guā: Using a hard edge to scrape a surface removes a thin layer.

Definition in Chinese

通过反复摩擦去除表面粗糙或改变形状，使物体光洁、锋利或逐渐耗损；也可引申为通过练习改善技能或品性。tōng guò fǎn fù mó cā qù chú biǎo miàn cū cāo huò gǎi biàn xíng zhuàng shǐ wù tǐ guāng jié fēng lì huò zhú jiàn hào sǔn yě kě yǐn shēn wèi tōng guò liàn xí gǎi shàn jì néng huò pǐn xìng

Word origin

磨 (mó, "polish") developed from the physical act of rubbing one hard thing against another, which extended naturally to refining objects and honing abilities.

Usage tips

  • For tooth care, everyday Chinese uses 刷牙 (shuāyá, "brush one's teeth"), while 磨牙 (móyá, "grind one's teeth") refers to teeth rubbing together.

Other meanings

  • sharpenverb
  • wear downverb

Opposites

  • 懈怠xiè dàislack offverb
  • 退步tuì bùregressverb

Related words

  • 磨练mó liàntrainverb
  • 磨砺mó lìtemperverb
  • 磨合mó héadjust to each otherverb

Word lists with this word