马

• 拼音: mǎ
• 汉字拆解: 马 = simplified from 馬, a pictograph of a horse seen from the side with its mane and legs

含义

Horse. A large domesticated animal used historically for riding, transport, and warfare.

One of the most important animals in Chinese culture and language. Appears in many common compounds: 马上 (immediately, literally on horseback), 马路 (road), 马虎 (careless), 马马虎虎 (so-so). The horse is one of the twelve Chinese zodiac animals. 马 is also a very common Chinese surname.

例句

1. 草原上有一群马在跑。
2. 他小时候特别喜欢骑马。
3. 马是人类最早的交通工具之一。

用法指南

语境: animals, culture, idioms

语气: neutral

正确说法

• 你骑过马吗？(Have you ever ridden a horse?)
• 马年出生的人据说很有活力。(People born in the Year of the Horse are said to be very energetic.)

错误说法

• 我的马上班去了。(Be careful with 马上 — it means immediately, not on a horse. Don't confuse the compound 马上 with the literal meaning of 马 + 上.)

起源与历史

A pictograph of a horse seen from the side, showing its mane, body, and four legs. One of the earliest characters found in oracle bone inscriptions, dating back over 3,000 years.

文化背景

世代: All ages

社会背景: Universal