膜 (mó): membrane; film

Measure Word

一层膜 céng

Meanings

1 membrane; film
2 thin layer covering a surface

Characters

膜

mo

membrane; film

Examples

手机屏幕上贴了一层保护膜。

Shǒujī píngmù shang tiē le yī céng bǎohù mó.

A protective film was applied to the phone screen.

细胞膜控制物质的进出。

Xìbāo mó kòngzhì wùzhì de jìnchū.

The cell membrane controls the passage of substances.

这种薄膜可以防水。

Zhèzhǒng bómó kěyǐ fángshuǐ.

This thin film is waterproof.

Tips

usage

Common compounds: 薄膜 (thin film), 保护膜 (protective film), 细胞膜 (cell membrane), 角膜 (cornea). 膜 appears in both scientific and everyday contexts.

memory

The 月 (flesh/body) radical on the left signals a body-related meaning — biological membranes. 莫 on the right gives the sound mó.

Components

radical

⺼ ròu

flesh; body tissue (radical form)

Left flesh radical — visually identical to 月 (moon) but historically a contracted 肉 (meat). Anchors 膜 in body-tissue vocabulary alongside 肌 (muscle), 肝 (liver), 肠 (intestine), 脏 (organ), 胸 (chest). Tells you immediately the membrane is biological, not mechanical.

phonetic

莫 mò

do not; sun-in-grass (phonetic)

Right phonetic 莫 — supplies the sound (mò drifted to mó, just a tone shift). Originally a picture of the sun setting into grass at dusk. Same phonetic family covers 模 (model), 摸 (touch), 漠 (desert), 幕 (curtain), 慕 (admire) — a useful cluster to learn together once you've nailed 莫.