毛 (máo) means "hair, feather" with radical 毛 (fur), HSK 3 on the new exam.
Pronunciation
Meaning
Primary: hair
Other meanings:
- feather
Etymology
Oracle-bone origin
毛 is a pictograph of a tuft of hair or a feather, drawn as a central shaft with several filaments branching off one side. Oracle-bone attestations are rare; clearer bronze and early seal forms show the feathered shape plainly.
Form evolution
Bronze forms drew the shaft curving upward with three or four splayed hairs. The seal script regularised this into a stylised plume, and the clerical script then straightened the top stroke and reduced the branches to the hooked bottom we now see. Modern 毛 is a four-stroke abstraction of what was originally a recognisable feather or hair tuft.
How the meaning evolved
The original meaning 'hair, fur, feather' is still the core modern sense, covering body hair, animal fur, and wool. It extended to 'something fine or downy', then metaphorically to 'rough, coarse' (as in 毛糙) and 'small, trivial' (as in 毛毛雨, light rain). The currency sense 'one-tenth of a yuan' comes from the much later colloquial use of 毛 for a small unit of value.
Cultural note
The idiom 九牛一毛 ('one hair from nine oxen') uses the original hair meaning to express something negligibly small. Learners should note that surname 毛, as in 毛泽东, is the same character and is one of the commonest Chinese surnames.
Basic info
| Pinyin | máo |
| Meanings | hair, feather |
| Radical | 毛 (#82: fur) |
| New HSK exam | Recognise at HSK 3, write by hand at HSK 3 |
| Frequency | #388 most common |
Example sentences
Words containing 毛
On the new HSK 3 exam
Studying for HSK 3? Keep 毛 with the rest of your level.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.