莫名

mòmíng

adjective #17,486

Meanings

1 inexplicable
2 indescribable
3 for no apparent reason

Characters

to name; to describe

Literally 'cannot name' - beyond description.

Examples

HSK 6

他莫名其妙地笑了起来。

Tā mòmíngqímiào de xiào le qǐlai.

He started laughing for no apparent reason.

HSK 7-9

她感到一种莫名的恐惧。

Tā gǎndào yī zhǒng mòmíng de kǒngjù.

She felt an inexplicable fear.

Tips

usage

莫名 is the short form often used as a modifier (莫名的悲伤 = inexplicable sadness). The full idiom is 莫名其妙 (baffling, inexplicable).

Stroke Order

莫 mò

名 míng