莫

Translingual

Han character

莫 (Kangxi radical 140, 艸+7, 11 strokes in traditional Chinese and Korean, 10 strokes in mainland China and Japanese, cangjie input 廿日大 (TAK), four-corner 4443₀, composition ⿱艹旲 or ⿱䒤大)

Derived characters

• 嗼, 塻, 嫫, 𡻟, 幙, 慔, 摸, 漠, 獏, 暯, 膜, 模, 氁, 㷬, 𭷱, 𬎇, 𮂓, 瞙, 糢, 𮖪, 縸(𫄲), 蟆, 謨(谟), 貘, 𧷸, 𨢢, 鏌(镆), 𩌧, 饃(馍), 䮬, 𩻁, 𪍤(𬹍), 𠢓, 鄚, 𮍅, 𪅐
• 寞, 𢊗, 瘼, 𩄻, 鬕, 募, 𠻚, 墓, 𡖶, 𡠜, 幕, 摹, 暮, 㱳, 慕, 𬑤, 蟇, 謩, 驀(蓦), 𡈗

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 1035, character 13
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 31078
• Dae Jaweon: page 1494, character 13
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 5, page 3217, character 15
• Unihan data for U+83AB

Chinese

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 莫
Shang	Western Zhou	Warring States	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Chu slip and silk script	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

Pictogram (象形) – the sun (日) sinking into the bushes (屮); dusk. Original form of 暮 (OC *maːɡs, “dusk”).

The bottom was later distorted into 大.

Etymology 1

From 無 (OC *ma, “there is no”) + distributive suffix *-k (Schuessler, 2007).

Pronunciation

Definitions

莫

1. (literary) none; nothing; not anything

   • 子曰：「莫我知也夫！」 [Classical Chinese, trad. and simp.]

     From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Zǐ yuē: “Mò wǒ zhī yě fū!”

     The Master said, "Alas! there is no one that knows me."

   • 在天者莫明於日月。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     在天者莫明于日月。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Xunzi, c. 3^rd century BCE

     Zài tiān zhě mò míng yú rì yuè.

     In the sky, there is nothing brighter than the Sun and the Moon.

2. (literary or dialectal Mandarin, dialectal Cantonese, Gan, Hakka, Eastern Min, Xiang) do not; don't; must not

   莫做聲！／莫做声！ [dialectal Mandarin]  ―  Mò zuòshēng!   ―  Keep quiet! (literally, “Don't make a sound!”)

   莫細膩。 [Eastern Min, trad.]
   莫细腻。 [Eastern Min, simp.]

   mŏ̤h-sá̤-nê / [Bàng-uâ-cê / IPA]

   Don't be too polite. / Make yourself at home.

   你莫腿囉。／你莫腿啰。 [Xiang]  ―  nyi³ mo⁶ tei³ lo [Wiktionary]  ―  You don't joke.

   發生火災莫驚慌／发生火灾莫惊慌  ―  fāshēng huǒzāi mò jīnghuāng  ―  Don't be panicked when conflagration happens

   • 莫為盜！莫為殺人！ [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     莫为盗！莫为杀人！ [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Zhuangzi, circa 3^rd – 2^nd centuries BCE

     Mò wéi dào! Mò wéi shārén!

     Don't steal! Don't kill!

   • 人生得意須盡歡，莫使金樽空對月。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     人生得意须尽欢，莫使金樽空对月。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: 752, Li Bai, 《將進酒》

     Rénshēng déyì xū jìn huān, mò shǐ jīnzūn kōng duì yuè.

     In life, fully enjoy yourself when you are delighted; do not allow an empty goblet to face the moon.

3. particle indicating a rhetorical question
4. a surname

Synonyms

Compounds

Etymology 2

Contraction of 毋愛／毋爱 (m̄-ài).

Pronunciation

Definitions

莫 (Southern Min)

1. do not; don't; must not

   莫摸我！ [Hokkien]  ―  Mài bong góa! [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]  ―  Don't touch me!

2. to not want

Synonyms

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

Definitions

莫

1. ^† Original form of 暮 (mù, “dusk; late”).

   • 其莫不冓雨。 [Classical Chinese, trad. and simp.]

     From: 合29807

     Qí mù bù gòu yǔ.

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

   • 飲酒之節，朝不廢朝，莫不廢夕。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     饮酒之节，朝不废朝，莫不废夕。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Xunzi, c. 3^rd century BCE

     Yǐnjiǔ zhī jié, zhāo bù fèi zhāo, mù bù fèi xī.

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

2. ^† a kind of vegetable

   • 彼汾沮洳，言采其莫。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad. and simp.]

     From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11^th – 7^th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Bǐ Fén jǔrù, yán cǎi qí mù.

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

Compounds

References

• “莫”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎, 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–

Japanese

Kanji

(“Jinmeiyō” kanji used for names)

1. late
2. end
3. not be
4. must not

Readings

• Go-on: も (mo); まく (maku)
• Kan-on: ぼ (bo); ばく (baku)
• Kun: くれ (kure, 莫れ); ない (nai, 莫い); なかれ (nakare, 莫れ)
• Nanori: さだむ (sadamu)

Korean

Hanja

莫 (eumhun 없을 막 (eopseul mak))

1. Hanja form^? of 막 (“do not, is not, cannot”).

莫 (eumhun 저물 모 (jeomul mo))

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

Vietnamese

Han character

莫: Hán Việt readings: mạc (末(mạt)各(các)切(thiết))
莫: Nôm readings: mác, mạc, mếch

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

References