募 (mù) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

募

mù[mu4]Tone 4

to raise contributions or recruit

HSK 7

Guru Deep Dive

English · to raise contributions or recruit

Cached lesson

1 / 1

Topology:Top-bottom

Strokes:13

Writing Balance Rule: The top part (莫) should be slightly wider and well-balanced over the bottom heart radical (心), ensuring the whole character does not look too top-heavy.

1. Meaning

to raise or collect (funds, contributions)

to recruit or enlist (soldiers, workers)

VerbFormal / Literary#society#finance#military#action

Sample Usage

募捐
mù juàn
to raise money / to solicit donations
招募
zhāo mù
to recruit / to enlist

2. Sound

/[mu˥˩]/Tone: 51

募

mùmu4

`(51)

=mù

Build the syllable

Step-by-step blending

Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "u" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).

Say it like:“moo”ExactTone pitch cue:sharp fall, like a command

Key difference: —

Initial Consonant

Type: Bilabial Nasal

Sounds like: Vowel start

Unaspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: Nasal resonance through nostrils.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue is low and back in the mouth, lips are pursed into a tight circle.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -u vowel group

Sounds like: -u rhymes with oo in boot

Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'oo'.

Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.

Tone

T4 (51)

5 → 1 (51)

4th Tone (High-Falling)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 starts high and plunges sharply to the bottom, matching an authoritative command or an emphatic 'No!' in English.

👂

Listening trap: Confusing the 4th falling tone (mù) with the 2nd rising tone (mú) or 3rd dipping tone (mǔ).

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: A sharp, firm nod downward representing a commanding call or strong request.

3. Writing

Topology: Top-bottom · Strokes: 13 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The top part (莫) should be slightly wider and well-balanced over the bottom heart radical (心), ensuring the whole character does not look too top-heavy.

4. Components

Radical 心 · Heart Radical (Heart, mind, feelings)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 心 (Indicates that raising funds or recruiting involves earnest intention, motivation, or rallying people's hearts.)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 莫 (original sound: mù)

The top component is mò (do not / sunset), and the bottom is xīn (heart). Together they combine to mean setting a goal with one's heart to gather people or resources.

莫 Provides the phonetic sound 'mù' and visual structure.
心 Provides the semantic theme of heart, intention, and collective will.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

24· Phonetic Root: 莫 (mò)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally formed by combining 莫 (mò - sunset/cover) to provide the sound and 心 (xīn - heart) to indicate mobilizing people's hearts and minds for a public cause or military enlistment.

Semantic Evolution: From the ancient sense of summoning people to serve or contribute, it evolved into modern meanings covering charity fundraising, donations, and job recruitment.

Often used historically in imperial edicts calling for volunteers to join the army during times of crisis.

6. Sinosphere

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: ボ / Kun: つの.る

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

모

Sound Shift Bridge: Maintains the ancient 'm' initial sound across East Asian Sinoxenic readings.

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

At sunset (莫), people pool their heart's (心) resources together to RAISE money for a community charity.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

莫

mòdo not, none, sunsetPhonetic Core (声旁)

摸

mōto touch, feel, or stroke+ 扌 (hand)

模

móto imitate, model, norm, pattern+ 木 (tree)

幕

mùcurtain+ 巾 (cloth)

Explore this family →

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

模(mó)

募 has a heart (心) at the bottom for rallying hearts in fundraising; 模 has wood (木) on the left for physical molds.

暮(mù)

募 uses heart (心) at the bottom for recruitment; 暮 uses sun (日) at the bottom representing dusk or twilight.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

这家慈善机构正在为贫困儿童[___]善款。

Clue: mù

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing 募 (mù - to raise/recruit) with 暮 (mù - dusk) due to their identical pronunciation.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: When you see 募 with the heart radical at the bottom and 'mù' pronunciation, what economic or social action does it denote?

Production: How do you write the character for 'to raise funds or recruit' (mù) combining 'sunset' and 'heart'?

募mùto raise contributions or recruit

Speed:

Searching YouTube for native pronunciation videos...

0 / 0