末

• 拼音: mò
• 汉字拆解: 末 = 木 (tree) with a horizontal stroke at the top indicating the tip/end of the tree

含义

End; tip; final part. Refers to the very end or extremity of something in time or space.

Most commonly used in compound words such as 周末 (weekend), 年末 (end of year), 末尾 (tail end), and 期末 (end of term). It contrasts with 本 (root/origin) and 始 (beginning). In literary Chinese, it can also mean minor or trivial, as in the idiom 舍本逐末 (abandon the fundamental for the trivial).

例句

1. 每个学期末，学生们都要准备考试。
2. 这条路的末端有一个小公园。
3. 到了年末，公司会给大家发奖金。

用法指南

语境: time expressions, academic, general

语气: neutral

正确说法

• 期末考试你准备好了吗？(Are you ready for the end-of-term exam?)
• 年末的时候工作特别忙。(Work is especially busy at the end of the year.)

错误说法

• 单独用'末'来表示'最后' (Don't use 末 by itself to mean 'last' or 'finally' in everyday speech — use it in compounds like 末尾, 末端, 期末)

起源与历史

A pictographic character showing a mark at the top of a tree (木), indicating the tip or topmost part, which evolved to mean 'end' more broadly.

文化背景

世代: All ages

社会背景: Universal