毛发 (máofà): body hair; hair (general term)

Meanings

毛 refers to body hair or fur in general, 发 specifically to head hair — together they mean all body hair.

Réntǐ de máofà yǒu bǎohù pífū de zuòyòng.

Human body hair serves to protect the skin.

Tā jǐnzhāng de máofà dōu shù qǐlái le.

He was so nervous his hair stood on end.

Zhè zhǒng bìng huì dǎozhì máofà tuōluò.

This disease can cause hair loss.

usage

毛发 is a formal/medical term for hair in general. In everyday speech, use 头发 (tóufa) for head hair and 汗毛 (hànmáo) for body hair.

毛 máo

发 fā