暮 meaning and stroke order
Dusk, evening, sunset; ending
How to write 暮, stroke by stroke
14 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 暮
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- evening
- sunset
How 暮 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Sun.
日 gives the meaning and 莫 hints at the sound.
Radical: 日 (sun), shared by 116 characters on this site.
How to remember 暮
暮 (mù) is 莫 (mò) sitting on top of 日 (rì, sun). Picture the sun 日 sinking down to the bottom of the character as evening arrives, with 莫 above giving the sound.
暮 is mostly literary and appears in set phrases rather than everyday speech, where people say 晚上 (wǎnshang) for evening. It shows up in words like 暮色 (mùsè, dusk) and 岁暮 (suìmù, end of the year), and in the idiom 朝三暮四. Example: 他做事朝三暮四。(Tā zuòshì zhāosān-mùsì.) He keeps changing his mind.
Common mistake: Learners confuse 暮 with 幕 (mù, curtain), 墓 (mù, tomb), and 慕 (mù, admire). They share the 莫 top and the same sound, so check the bottom part. 日 means sun and evening, 巾 means cloth, 土 means earth, and 小 (a form of 心) means feeling.
Common words with 暮
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 朝三暮四 | zhāosān-mùsì | lit. say three in the morning but four in the evening (idiom); to change sth that is alrea | HSK 7-9 |
Questions about 暮
How many strokes are in 暮?
暮 is written with 14 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 暮 mean?
暮 (mù) means dusk, evening, sunset; ending. A common word with it is 朝三暮四 (zhāosān-mùsì), meaning "lit. say three in the morning but four in the evening (idiom); to change sth that is alrea".
How do you pronounce 暮?
暮 is pronounced mù, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 暮?
The radical of 暮 is 日, which carries the idea of "sun". Dictionaries list 暮 under this radical.
Is 暮 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 暮 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 朝三暮四 really mean?
It literally means three in the morning and four in the evening. Today it describes someone who is fickle and keeps changing their mind or loyalties. It is usually said as criticism.
Can 暮 mean the end of something besides the day?
Yes. It can mean late or near the end, as in 暮年 (mùnián, old age) and 岁暮 (suìmù, the end of the year).