卯榫
mǎo sǔn · mortise and tenon (slot and tab forming a carpenter's joint)
Character breakdown
Study each Hanzi separately, then return to the complete word so pronunciation, meaning, and movement stay connected.
How to learn 卯榫
Listen once without reading, repeat the pinyin with its tones, then write every character in sequence. Finally, recall the complete meaning instead of memorizing each character as an isolated translation.
When the word appears in a sentence, check whether its part of speech and meaning match the definition shown here. Chinese words can change nuance with context.
Words with the same characters
Compare how a familiar Hanzi changes meaning inside another word.
morning roll call
卯时mǎo shí5-7 am (in the system of two-hour subdivisions used in former times)
卯眼mǎo yǎnmortise; slit
应卯yìng mǎoto answer the roll call at 卯時|卯时[mao3 shi2], i.e. between 5 and 7 am; fig. to put in a conventional appearance
丁卯dīng mǎofourth year D4 of the 60 year cycle, e.g. 1987 or 2047
卯兔mǎo tùYear 4, year of the Rabbit (e.g. 2011)