(mò) - do not; none, nothing (literary) in Mandarin
mòTraditional: 莫
Translation
do not; none, nothing (literary)
Word origin
Originally a picture of the sun sinking into undergrowth, the first graph for dusk. It was borrowed for the sound to write the negative, and a new character 暮 was later made for the original sunset sense.
- Origin
- pictograph, borrowed phonetically
- Root
- 日 (sun) set among 茻 (thick grass), the original form of 暮 (mù, dusk)
Stroke order
莫
Examples
。
Please do not take offence.
，。
Do not fret, take it slowly.
。
His words left everybody baffled.
？
Could this business possibly have something to do with him?
：闲。
Four characters are written at the door: no admittance except on business.
莫 (mò) is the literary negative. It does two jobs: do not, as a prohibition, and none of them, as a negative pronoun. Both belong to written and formal Chinese rather than to conversation.
Modern speech uses 别 or 不要 for a prohibition, so 莫 mostly reaches learners inside fixed expressions. 莫名其妙 means inexplicable or baffling, 莫非 introduces a can it really be that question, and public signs still carry 闲人莫入.
The trap is that it looks like an ordinary adverb and is not. Dropping 莫 into everyday speech in place of 别 will be understood, but it lands like a Victorian thee in an English pub. Recognise it, read it, and keep 别 for talking.
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莫: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "莫" (do not; none, nothing (literary)): 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 51.