卯 (mǎo): mortise (slot cut into wood to receive a tenon), 4th earthly branch: 5–7 a.m., 2nd solar month (6th March–4th April), Year of the Rabbit, ancient Chinese compass point: 90° (east)
卯 (mǎo) is a Chinese character meaning “mortise (slot cut into wood to receive a tenon).” Outside the HSK 3.0 syllabus (CLEC 2022), it is composed of 卩 (structural). It ranks #3908 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Definitions
- mortise (slot cut into wood to receive a tenon)
- 4th earthly branch: 5–7 a.m., 2nd solar month (6th March–4th April), Year of the Rabbit
- ancient Chinese compass point: 90° (east)
Stroke Order
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Words & Compounds
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 卯起来 | mǎo qǐ lai | (coll.) to get enthusiastic |
| 丁卯战争 | dīng mǎo zhàn zhēng | first Manchu invasion of Korea (1627) |
| 卯时noun | mǎo shí | 5-7 am (in the system of two-hour subdivisions used in former times) |
| 丁卯胡乱 | dīng mǎo hú luàn | first Manchu invasion of Korea (1627) |
| 点卯verb | diǎn mǎo | morning roll call |
| 应卯verb | yìng mǎo | to answer the roll call at 卯時|卯时, i.e. between 5 and 7 am |
| 己卯noun | jǐ mǎo | sixteenth year F4 of the 60 year cycle, e.g. 1999 or 2059 |
| 丁是丁，卯是卯 | dīng shì dīng , mǎo shì mǎo | lit. to keep ding (the fourth heavenly stem) distinct from mao (the fourth earthly branch) (idiom) |
| 凿死卯子 | záo sǐ mǎo zi | variant of 鑿死鉚子|凿死铆子 |
| 卯眼noun | mǎo yǎn | mortise |
| 子丑寅卯 | zǐ chǒu yín mǎo | (idiom) a full and coherent account of a matter |
| 寅吃卯粮phrase | yín chī mǎo liáng | lit. eating away next year's food in advance |
| 寅支卯粮 | yín zhī mǎo liáng | see 寅吃卯糧|寅吃卯粮 |
| 丁卯noun | dīng mǎo | fourth year D4 of the 60 year cycle, e.g. 1987 or 2047 |
| 辛卯noun | xīn mǎo | twenty-eighth year H4 of the 60 year cycle, e.g. 2011 or 2071 |
卯 appears in 20 compound words: 25 as the first character, 45 as the last, and 30 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Idioms & Chengyu (2)
Example Sentences
探营上海世赛奖牌诞生地：解锁首枚异形奖牌，榫卯与石库门镌刻中国匠心
tàn yíng shàng hǎi shì sài jiǎng pái dàn shēng dì : jiě suǒ shǒu méi yì xíng jiǎng pái , 榫 mǎo yǔ shí kù mén juān kè zhōng guó jiàng xīn
A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Birthplace of the Shanghai WorldSkills Medals: Unveiling the First Unconventionally Shaped Medal, Where Mortise-and-Tenon Joinery and Shikumen Architecture Embody Chinese Artistry
墨家机关术、榫卯斗拱等传统机械智慧被融入城市构造，整座城池依靠水力联动运转。
mò jiā jī guān shù , 榫 mǎo dǒu gǒng děng chuán tǒng jī xiè zhì huì bèi róng rù chéng shì gòu zào , zhěng zuò chéng chí yī kào shuǐ lì lián dòng yùn zhuǎn .
Traditional mechanical ingenuity—such as Moist mechanical devices, mortise-and-tenon joints, and bracket systems—has been integrated into the city’s structure, and the entire city operates through a system of interconnected water-powered mechanisms.
机身采用了榫卯结构，紧密卡扣紧紧相连，让它机身更轻盈，也更抗压耐摔。
jī shēn cǎi yòng le 榫 mǎo jié gòu , jǐn mì kǎ kòu jǐn jǐn xiāng lián , ràng tā jī shēn gèng qīng yíng , yě gèng kàng yā nài shuāi .
The body features a mortise-and-tenon construction, with tightly interlocking joints that make it lighter while also making it more resistant to pressure and impact.
这款新品延续“云隼架构”，并采用榫卯一体化结构。
zhè kuǎn xīn pǐn yán xù yún 隼 jià gòu , bìng cǎi yòng 榫 mǎo yī tǐ huà jié gòu .
This new product builds on the "Cloud Falcon Architecture" and features an integrated mortise-and-tenon structure.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
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