(mào) - to give off, to emit; to risk, to brave in Mandarin
màoTraditional: 冒
Translation
to give off, to emit; to risk, to brave
Word origin
The old form shows 冃, a cloth covering worn on the head, above 目 (mù, eye). From covering came the sense of pushing out through something, and from there both emitting and braving.
- Origin
- pictographic
- Root
- 冃 (head covering) + 目 (mù, eye)
Stroke order
冒
Examples
锅。
Steam is coming off the pot.
。
He went to work in the pouring rain.
。
I do not want to take that risk.
汗。
Sweat broke out on his forehead.
。
Someone has used my name fraudulently.
冒 (mào) has one image behind three uses: something forcing its way out through a surface. Steam pushes out of a pot, sweat pushes out of skin, smoke pushes out of a chimney. 冒 covers all of it, usually with 着 for the ongoing version or 出 for the moment it appears.
The second sense is braving something. 冒着大雨, 冒着危险, 冒着生命危险: you push forward through the bad thing instead of avoiding it. 冒险 (to take a risk) is the same idea packed into a word of its own.
The third sense catches learners out. 冒 also means passing yourself off as someone else, giving 冒用 (to use fraudulently) and 冒充 (to impersonate). Nothing in the steam sense prepares you for it, so learn 冒用 as its own item rather than trying to work it out.
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冒: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "冒" (to give off, to emit; to risk, to brave): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 52.