Writing Balance Rule: Center the vertical axis. The slanted hook stroke at the bottom must be balanced by the upper diagonal strokes to prevent the character from looking lopsided.
1. Meaning
spear, lance, pike
weapon with a long shaft and pointed head
NounFormal / Literary#weapons#military#objects
Sample Usage
矛盾
máodùn
contradiction (literally: spear and shield)
长矛
chángmáo
long spear, pike
2. Sound
/[mɑʊ̯³⁵]/Tone: 35
矛
máomao2
|
++
´(35)
=máo
Initial Consonant
m
Type: Bilabial Nasal
Sounds like: m sound like in 'mother'
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Nasal resonance through nostrils.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Lips pressed together lightly to voice the nasal consonant, then relaxed.
Final Rhyme
ao
Vowel Group: -a vowel group
Sounds like: -ao rhymes with cow or ow
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'ow'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T2 (35)
3 → 5 (35)
2nd Tone (Mid-Rising)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 2 starts at mid-level and rises sharply to the top, exactly like asking 'What?' in English disbelief.
Sandhi: When followed by another Tone 3 character, it shifts to a rising Tone 2.
👂
Listening trap: Do not confuse with máo in first tone (毛 - hair) or fourth tone (帽 - hat).
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Raise your hand upward from left to right like climbing a hill, matching the rising pitch of Tone 2/3.
3. Writing
Topology: Single character · Strokes: 5 strokes
Writing Balance Rule: Center the vertical axis. The slanted hook stroke at the bottom must be balanced by the upper diagonal strokes to prevent the character from looking lopsided.
4. Components
Radical矛 · Spear Radical (spear, weapon)
Depicts an ancient long-shafted spear with a sharp blade at the top and a hook or counterweight at the bottom.
矛 An ancient spear weapon
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
5· Phonetic Root: 矛 (máo)
5. History
Liushu category: Pictogram (象形)
Origin: Originally drawn in oracle bone scripts as an upright pole topped with a sharp weapon blade and a hooked or barbed accent.
Semantic Evolution: Derived straight from the shape of ancient battle spears. Its most famous modern philosophical compound is 矛盾 (máodùn - contradiction), derived from an ancient story of a salesman who claimed his spear could pierce any shield, and his shield could block any spear.
The classic Chinese idiom '自相矛盾' (to contradict oneself) originates from the objects spear (矛) and shield (盾).
6. Sinosphere
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: ボウ (bō) / Kun: ほこ (hoko)
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
모
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story
Picture a sharp warrior holding a long **spear** (**矛**) marching up a hill while shouting with a rising tone.
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
矛
máospearBase character for spear.
柔
róusoft / gentleSpear (矛) under a tree or plant wood (木) - soft branches yielding to force.
务
wùaffair / businessTop element over a foot or action indicator.
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
予(yú)
予 lacks the sweeping hook stroke and the central diagonal slash structure found inside 矛.
柔(róu)
柔 adds a wooden tree base (木) at the bottom underneath the spear.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
这个成语的故事跟“[___]”和盾牌有关。
Clue: máo
Common Learner Pitfall
Confusing the stroke order of the internal diagonal slash and hook, leading to awkward proportions.
Memory Prompts
Recognition: What does the character 矛 represent visually from ancient weaponry?
Production: How do you write the character for 'spear' (máo) in 5 strokes?
Real-World Video Context
Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.
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矛máospear
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