牧 meaning and stroke order
Shepherd; to tend cattle
How to write 牧, stroke by stroke
8 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 牧
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to herd
- to breed livestock
- to govern (old)
- government official (old)
How 牧 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A hand 攵 leading an ox 牛.
Radical: 牛 (ox), shared by 34 characters on this site.
How to remember 牧
On the left is an ox 牛, and on the right is 攵, a hand holding a stick. A hand leading an ox with a stick is someone herding cattle, so 牧 (mù) means to herd.
牧 rarely appears alone in modern Chinese. It mostly shows up in words like 牧场 (mùchǎng, pasture), 牧民 (mùmín, herdsman) and 放牧 (fàngmù, to graze livestock). Example: 他们在草原上放牧。(Tāmen zài cǎoyuán shàng fàngmù.) They herd livestock on the grasslands.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes confuse 牧 (mù) with 物 (wù, thing), since both have 牛 on the left. Remember that 牧 has the hand with a stick 攵 on the right, while 物 has 勿.
Common words with 牧
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
牧 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 牧
How many strokes are in 牧?
牧 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 牧 mean?
牧 (mù) means shepherd; to tend cattle. A common word with it is 牧场 (mùchǎng), meaning "pasture; grazing land".
How do you pronounce 牧?
牧 is pronounced mù, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 牧?
The radical of 牧 is 牛, which carries the idea of "ox". Dictionaries list 牧 under this radical.
Is 牧 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 牧 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Why does 牧师 mean a priest or pastor if 牧 means to herd?
牧师 (mùshī) uses the image of a shepherd caring for a flock, a picture used for Christian pastors and their congregations. The old sense of 牧 as to govern or look after people also fits this idea.
Is 牧 only used for cattle, or for other animals too?
Even though the character shows an ox, 牧 covers herding any livestock. You see it with sheep in 牧羊 (mùyáng) and 牧羊犬 (mùyángquǎn, sheepdog), and 牧民 can herd horses, yaks or goats.