幕 meaning and stroke order
Curtain or screen; canopy or tent; headquarters of a general
How to write 幕, stroke by stroke
13 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 幕
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- curtain or screen
- canopy or tent
- headquarters of a general
- act (of a play)
- old variant of 幕[mu4]
- curtain
How 幕 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Curtain.
巾 gives the meaning and 莫 hints at the sound.
Radical: 巾 (cloth), shared by 53 characters on this site.
How to remember 幕
幕 is built from 莫 (mò) on top, which gives the sound, and 巾 (jīn, cloth) at the bottom, which gives the meaning. Picture a big piece of cloth 巾 hanging down under 莫 to form a curtain or screen.
幕 appears in words about curtains and screens, like 屏幕 (píngmù, screen) and 字幕 (zìmù, subtitles), and in event words like 开幕 (kāimù) and 闭幕 (bìmù). It is also a measure word for acts of a play or scenes. Example: 这部电影有中文字幕。(Zhè bù diànyǐng yǒu Zhōngwén zìmù.) This movie has Chinese subtitles.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 幕 with 墓 (mù, tomb), 慕 (mù, admire) and 暮 (mù, dusk), which share 莫 and the same sound. Check the bottom part: 巾 cloth for curtain, 土 earth for tomb, 小-shaped heart for admire, 日 sun for dusk.
Common words with 幕
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 开幕 | kāimù | to open (a conference); to inaugurate | HSK 5 |
| 开幕式 | kāimùshì | opening ceremony | HSK 5 |
| 闭幕 | bìmù | the curtain falls; lower the curtain | HSK 5 |
| 闭幕式 | bìmùshì | closing ceremony | HSK 5 |
| 屏幕 | píngmù | screen (TV, computer or movie) | HSK 6 |
| 字幕 | zìmù | subtitles; captions (of a movie etc) | HSK 7-9 |
| 幕后 | mùhòu | behind the scenes | HSK 7-9 |
| 内幕 | nèimù | inside story; non-public information | HSK 7-9 |
| 银幕 | yínmù | movie screen | HSK 7-9 |
| 序幕 | xùmù | prologue | HSK 7-9 |
| 荧幕 | yíngmù | TV screen | |
| 幕府 | mùfǔ | (orig.) tents forming the offices of a commanding officer; administration of a military go | |
| 落幕 | luòmù | the curtain drops; the end of the show | |
| 夜幕降临 | yèmùjiànglín | nightfall |
幕 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 幕
How many strokes are in 幕?
幕 is written with 13 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 幕 mean?
幕 (mù) means curtain or screen; canopy or tent; headquarters of a general. A common word with it is 开幕 (kāimù), meaning "to open (a conference); to inaugurate".
How do you pronounce 幕?
幕 is pronounced mù, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 幕?
The radical of 幕 is 巾, which carries the idea of "cloth". Dictionaries list 幕 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 幕?
The traditional form of 幕 is 幙. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 幕 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 幕 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 幕 is part of the HSK 5 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 幕后 mean and how is it used?
幕后 (mùhòu) literally means behind the curtain. It is used for people or work behind the scenes, as in 幕后英雄 (mùhòu yīngxióng), unsung heroes.
How do I use 幕 as a measure word?
Use 幕 to count acts of a play or striking scenes. For example, 第一幕 (dì yī mù) means Act One, and 这一幕 (zhè yí mù) means this scene.