旄

máo
noun

Meanings

  1. 1 an ancient banner topped with yak or ox tail (archaic)

Examples

HSK 7-9
Sū Wǔ shǒuchí Hàn jié máo, shǐzhōng bù xiáng.
Su Wu held fast to the Han envoy's yak-tail staff and never surrendered.

Tips

history
旄 is not used independently in modern Chinese. As máo it names a yak-tail banner or the tail tuft on an envoy's staff (the 节旄 of the Su Wu legend); a second reading mào is an old variant of 耄 (aged). It pairs the banner radical 方 with the phonetic 毛.
register
Archaic and literary only; encountered in classical history and etymology notes, not in modern speech.

Components

radical
方 fāng
banner element
The left side is the 方-shaped banner radical (the flag-and-pole element of 旗 and 旌); it marks this as a type of flag or standard.
phonetic
毛 máo
hair; fur; tail tuft
Supplies the sound (matching máo) and doubles as a meaning hint: the banner was tipped with an ox or yak 毛 (tail of fur).

Stroke Order

旄 máo