霉 (méi): mold
霉 (méi) is a Chinese character meaning “mold.” Classified as HSK Level 7-9 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 雨 (semantic) and 每 (phonetic). It ranks #2347 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 霉 rain. Its radical form 雨 (rain) appears in many related characters such as 雨 (yǔ, rain), 零 (líng, zero), 雪 (xuě, snow).
Definitions
- mold
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 霉 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 倒霉adjective | dǎo méi | to have bad luck |
| 霉菌noun | méi jūn | mold |
| 发霉verb | fā méi | to become moldy |
| 青霉素noun | qīng méi sù | (pharmacology) penicillin |
| 红霉素noun | hóng méi sù | (pharmacology) erythromycin |
| 黄曲霉菌noun | huáng qū méi jūn | Aspergillus flavus (fungus typically found on crops) |
| 氯霉素noun | lǜ méi sù | (pharmacology) chloramphenicol |
| 林可霉素 | lín kě méi sù | (pharmacology) lincomycin |
| 克林霉素noun | kè lín méi sù | (pharmacology) clindamycin |
| 阿奇霉素noun | ā qí méi sù | (pharmacology) azithromycin |
| 倒霉蛋儿 | dǎo méi dàn r | erhua variant of 倒霉蛋 |
| 新霉素noun | xīn méi sù | (pharmacology) neomycin |
| 庆大霉素noun | qìng dà méi sù | (pharmacology) gentamicin |
| 金霉素noun | jīn méi sù | (pharmacology) chlortetracycline |
| 黄曲霉毒素noun | huáng qū méi dú sù | aflatoxin |
霉 appears in 39 compound words: 31 as the first character, 15 as the last, and 54 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 霉 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Example Sentences
潮湿的天气容易发霉，要保持室内通风。
Cháoshī de tiānqì róngyì fāméi, yào bǎochí shìnèi tōngfēng.
Humid weather is prone to mold; keep indoor ventilation.
公屋热话|获派“发霉”公屋质疑房署完全冇维修 租户怒轰5宗罪...
gōng wū rè huà huò pài fā méi gōng wū zhì yí fáng shǔ wán quán 冇 wéi xiū zū hù nù hōng 5 zōng zuì . . .
Public Housing Hot Topic | Tenant Assigned "Moldy" Public Housing Unit Accuses Housing Authority of Complete Lack of Maintenance; Tenant Lists Five Grievances...
保温瓶、冷气、浴室怎么清?居家精油除霉诀窍
bǎo wēn píng , lěng qì , yù shì zěn má qīng ? jū jiā jīng yóu chú méi jué qiào
How to Clean Thermoses, Air Conditioners, and Bathrooms? Tips for Removing Mold with Essential Oils at Home
湿热开冷气有霉味?专家教1招免费解决 这温度是关键
shī rè kāi lěng qì yǒu méi wèi ? zhuān jiā jiào 1 zhāo miǎn fèi jiě jué zhè wēn dù shì guān jiàn
Is there a musty smell when the air conditioner is turned on in hot and humid heat? Experts teach 1 trick to solve this temperature is the key
水果发霉了,切掉发霉的部分还能吃吗?
shuǐ guǒ fā méi le , qiē diào fā méi de bù fēn hái néng chī ma ?
The fruit is moldy, can you still eat it if you cut off the moldy part?
桃園某知名遭離職員工指控 水果發霉竟擦掉後重新上架賣
táo 園 mǒu zhī míng zāo 離 職 員 gōng zhǐ kòng shuǐ guǒ 發 méi jìng cā diào 後 chóng xīn shàng jià 賣
A well-known person in Taoyuan was accused by a resigned employee of wiping off the moldy fruit and putting it back on the shelves for sale
台子上有个发霉的面包。
Táizi shàng yǒu gè fāméi de miànbāo.
A moldy loaf of bread lay on the table.
Character Family
Semantic Family — Characters sharing the 雨 (rain) component
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 霉 (méi) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 霉 and 海?
How many strokes does 霉 have?
What is the radical of 霉?
What are the components of 霉?
What are common words containing 霉?
What characters sound the same as 霉 (méi)?
Is 霉 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
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