拇 mǔ thumb
thumb; big toe
How to remember 拇: 扌 hand + 母 mother = thumb. The baby reaches for the hand of her mother and holds on tight to one big thumb.
Component breakdown
形声 · Meaning + sound
One part gives the meaning, the other gives the sound.
拇 = 扌 hand + 母 mother
- 扌 hand meaning
- 母 mother sound
The baby reaches for the hand of her mother and holds on tight to one big thumb.
How it came to be
The hand gives the meaning and the mother gives the sound.
How it is used
- Bound; the thumb (or big toe), mainly in 拇指 (mǔzhǐ), thumb: 竖起大拇指 (shùqǐ dà mǔzhǐ) to give a thumbs-up.
- 大拇指 (dà mǔzhǐ) is the everyday word for thumb.