莫 meaning and stroke order
Cannot; do not; is not; negative
How to write 莫, stroke by stroke
10 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 莫
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- do not
- there is none who
How 莫 is built
Components of the character.
Radical: 艹 (grass), shared by 421 characters on this site.
How to remember 莫
莫 is grass 艹 on top of 旲, which contains a sun 日 sitting over 大. Picture the sun sinking down into the grass until there is none left to see, and you have a word for "none" and "do not".
莫 is a formal or literary negative, mostly found in set phrases and idioms rather than everyday speech. It often means "no one" or "nothing", as in 莫过于 (mòguòyú, nothing surpasses), or "do not" in written warnings. Example: 他的话让我莫名其妙。 (Tā de huà ràng wǒ mòmíngqímiào.) What he said left me baffled.
Common mistake: Learners confuse 莫 with 模 (mó, model) and 摸 (mō, to touch), which use 莫 as a sound part but take a different tone and add a side radical. Also, do not use 莫 in place of 不 (bù) or 别 (bié) in casual speech, because it sounds bookish.
Common words with 莫
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 莫名其妙 | mòmíngqímiào | (idiom) baffling; bizarre; without rhyme or reason; inexplicable | HSK 7-9 |
| 莫非 | mòfēi | can it be possible that; could it be | HSK 7-9 |
| 莫过于 | mòguòyú | nothing can surpass | HSK 7-9 |
| 变幻莫测 | biànhuàn-mòcè | to change unpredictably; unpredictable | HSK 7-9 |
| 一筹莫展 | yīchóu-mòzhǎn | to be unable to find a solution; to be at wits' end | HSK 7-9 |
| 莫大 | mòdà | greatest; most important | |
| 莫名 | mòmíng | inexpressible; indescribable; unexplainable; inexplicable | |
| 爱莫能助 | àimònéngzhù | unable to help however much one would like to (idiom); Although we sympathize, there is no | |
| 莫须有 | mòxūyǒu | groundless; baseless |
莫 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 莫
Learning 莫 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 莫
How many strokes are in 莫?
莫 is written with 10 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 莫 mean?
莫 (mò) means cannot; do not; is not; negative. A common word with it is 莫名其妙 (mòmíngqímiào), meaning "(idiom) baffling; bizarre; without rhyme or reason; inexplicable".
How do you pronounce 莫?
莫 is pronounced mò, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 莫?
The radical of 莫 is 艹, which carries the idea of "grass". Dictionaries list 莫 under this radical.
Is 莫 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 莫 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 莫非 mean and how is it used?
莫非 (mòfēi) introduces a guess or suspicion, like "could it be that". For example, 莫非他忘了？ (Mòfēi tā wàng le?) means "Could it be that he forgot?" It is often paired with a question or 不成 at the end.
How is 莫 used in the idiom 爱莫能助?
In 爱莫能助 (àimònéngzhù), 莫 means "not able", so the phrase is "willing but unable to help". It is a polite way to say you sympathize but cannot do anything. Here 莫 works like 不 in modern Chinese.