茅 (máo): reeds, rushes
茅 (máo) is a Chinese character meaning “reeds.” Classified as HSK Level 7-9 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 艹 (semantic) and 矛 (phonetic). It ranks #2272 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 茅 grass. Its radical form 艹 (grass) appears in many related characters such as 花 (huā, flower), 茶 (chá, tea), 菜 (cài, vegetable, dish).
Definitions
- reeds
- rushes
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 茅 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 茅屋 | máo wū | thatched cottage |
| 达特茅斯 | dá tè máo sī | Dartmouth (place name) |
| 普利茅斯 | pǔ lì máo sī | Plymouth |
| 名列前茅 | míng liè qián máo | to rank among the best |
| 茅坑 | máo kēng | latrine pit |
| 初出茅庐 | chū chū máo lú | venturing from one's thatched hut for the first time (idiom) |
| 茅房 | máo fáng | toilet (rural euphemism) |
| 茅塞顿开 | máo sè dùn kāi | murky darkness suddenly opens (idiom) |
| 茅厕 | máo si | (dialect) latrine |
| 茅舍 | máo shè | cottage |
| 茅草 | máo cǎo | see 白茅[bai2 mao2] |
| 伯恩茅斯 | bó ēn máo sī | Bournemouth, UK |
| 三顾茅庐 | sān gù máo lú | lit. to make three visits to the thatched cottage (idiom) (allusion to an episode in Romance of the Three Kingdoms 三國... |
| 朴次茅斯 | pǔ cì máo sī | Portsmouth, southern English seaport |
| 前茅 | qián máo | forward patrol (military) (old) |
茅 appears in 45 compound words: 47 as the first character, 16 as the last, and 38 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 茅 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (10)
to be enlightened all of a sudden; to come to the realization all of a sudden
lit. earthen steps and a small cottage; frugal living conditions (idiom)
to be enlightened all of a sudden; to come to the realization all of a sudden
lit. earthen steps and a small cottage; frugal living conditions (idiom)
Showing 7 of 10 idioms containing 茅.
Example Sentences
这个茅字在古汉语中有不同的含义。
zhè gě máo zì zài gǔ hàn yǔ zhōng yǒu bù tóng de hán yì .
The character "茅" had different meanings in ancient Chinese.
美驻茅利塔尼亚使馆警告“恐攻风险增” 使馆建筑...
měi zhù máo lì tǎ ní yà shǐ guǎn jǐng gào kǒng gōng fēng xiǎn zēng shǐ guǎn jiàn zhù . . .
U.S. Embassy in Mauritania Warns of "Increased Risk of Terrorist Attacks"; Embassy Building...
英超|般尼茅夫2:2战平曼联
yīng chāo bān ní máo fū 2 : 2 zhàn píng 曼 lián
Premier League | Bournemouth Draws 2-2 with Manchester United
英超|般尼茅夫2:2逼和曼联 哈利马古尼末段被逐兼罚...
yīng chāo bān ní máo fū 2 : 2 bī hé 曼 lián hā lì mǎ gǔ ní mò duàn bèi zhú jiān fá . . .
Premier League | Bournemouth Draws 2-2 with Manchester United; Harry Maguire Sent Off and Penalized in the Final Minutes...
美宜佳卖假烟、茅台退出糖酒会!背后真相只有两个字:收缩!
měi yí jiā mài jiǎ yān , máo tái tuì chū táng jiǔ huì ! bèi hòu zhēn xiāng zhī yǒu liǎng gè zì : shōu suō !
Meiyijia Sells Counterfeit Cigarettes, Moutai Withdraws from the China Food & Beverage Fair! The truth behind it all can be summed up in two words: contraction!
...0多家还在烤酒”!贵州仁怀酱酒“洗牌”,茅台镇余氏兄弟找舍得、国台当“靠山”
. . . 0 duō jiā hái zài kǎo jiǔ ! guì zhōu rén huái jiàng jiǔ xǐ pái , máo tái zhèn yú shì xiōng dì zhǎo shě dé , guó tái dāng kào shān
"...Over 100 companies are still distilling liquor!" A shake-up in Guizhou's Renhuai soy-sauce-flavored liquor industry; the Yu brothers from Maotai Town turn to Shede and Guotai for support
这栋很高的房子被茅草屋顶覆盖着。
Zhè dòng hěn gāo de fángzi bèi máocǎo wūdǐng fùgài zhe.
The tall house was covered with a thatched roof.
山坡上有一个茅屋。
Shānpō shàng yǒu yī gè máowū.
There was a cottage on the side of the hill.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 茅 (máo) mean in Chinese?
How many strokes does 茅 have?
What is the radical of 茅?
What are the components of 茅?
What are common words containing 茅?
What characters sound the same as 茅 (máo)?
Is 茅 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 茅 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear native pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.