幕 (mù) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

幕

mù[mu4]Tone 4

curtain

HSK 5

Multiple Readings (多音字):

Guru Deep Dive

English · curtain

Cached lesson

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Topology:Top-bottom

Strokes:13

Writing Balance Rule: The top cover (艹) must sit gracefully and wide over the middle structure (日), while the bottom legs (巾) anchor the entire character with a balanced base.

1. Meaning

curtain, screen, or tent canopy

headquarters of a generalact of a play

NounNeutral#theater#architecture#military

Sample Usage

演出结束时，舞台上的幕布缓缓落下。
yǎnchū jiéshù shí, wǔtái shàng de mùbù huǎnhuò luòxià.
At the end of the performance, the curtain on the stage slowly came down.
夜幕降临，城市亮起了灯光。
yèmù jiànglín, chéngshì liàng qǐle dēngguāng.
Night fell (the curtain of night descended), and the city lights turned on.

2. Sound

/[mu⁵¹]/Tone: 51

幕

mùmu4

`(51)

=mù

Initial Consonant

Type: Bilabial Nasal

Sounds like: m sound like in 'mother'

Unaspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: Nasal resonance through nostrils.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Lips pressed together gently to voice the nasal 'm', then opened into the vowel.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -u vowel group

Sounds like: oo sound like in 'boot' or 'moon'

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 straight down, exactly like shouting 'NO!' or answering with a firm, definitive 'Down!'.

👂

Listening trap: Confusing the Tone 4 falling pitch (51) with a flat tone or rising tone. Ensure the pitch drops sharply from high to low rather than lingering.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: A decisive, sharp chop downward with your hand from high to low, mimicking a heavy theater curtain dropping rapidly.

3. Writing

Topology: Top-bottom · Strokes: 13 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The top cover (艹) must sit gracefully and wide over the middle structure (日), while the bottom legs (巾) anchor the entire character with a balanced base.

4. Components

Radical 巾 · Cloth radical (cloth, fabric, towel)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 巾 (indicates that the object is made of fabric or cloth, such as a curtain or tent.)

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

Under the roof and sun (莫), there hangs a piece of heavy cloth (巾) serving as a curtain or canopy.

艹 Grass / roof crown
日 Sun
大 Big
巾 Cloth / fabric

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

24· Phonetic Root: 莫 (mò)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally, the character 莫 depicted the sun setting in the grass (now meaning 'do not' or 'sunset'), and adding the cloth radical (巾) specified a cloth screen or tent used when camping or shading.

Semantic Evolution: From a physical tent canopy or camp curtain used by generals in ancient times, it expanded to mean any hanging screen, stage curtain, or theatrical act.

In ancient military terminology, 幕 (mù) referred to the tent headquarters where generals planned strategies, which gave rise to words like 幕僚 (staff officer).

6. Sinosphere

🇻🇳

Sino-Vietnamese

mạc

Corresponds to the entering or heavy constricted tone category in historical strata, matching modern departing tone dynamics.

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: マク (maku) / バク (baku)

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

막

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

Picture a heavy velvet CURTAIN (幕) on a stage made of fabric (巾) shielding the sun (日) under a rooftop (艹), dropping down sharply to end the play.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

墓

mùgrave, tombUses the earth radical (土) at the bottom instead of cloth (巾), representing a burial mound.

模

mómodel, patternUses the wood radical (木) on the left, referring to wooden molds or patterns.

摸

mōto touch, to strokeUses the hand radical (扌) on the left, representing touching with the hand.

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

墓(mù)

墓 has earth (土) at the bottom because a grave is in the ground; 幕 has cloth (巾) at the bottom because a curtain is made of fabric.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

话剧的第一[___]非常精彩。

Clue: mù

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing 幕 (mù - curtain) with 墓 (mù - grave) due to identical pinyin and similar phonetic parts, ignoring the bottom radical (巾 vs. 土).

Memory Prompts

Recognition: When you see 幕, what are its primary meanings related to theater and military?

Production: How do you write the character for 'curtain/act' (mù), and what radical is at the bottom?

幕mùcurtain

Speed:

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