膜 (mó): membrane; film

Measure Word

一层膜 céng

Meanings

1 membrane; film
2 thin layer covering a surface

Characters

膜

mó

membrane; film

Examples

HSK 4

这种薄膜可以防水。

Zhèzhǒng bómó kěyǐ fángshuǐ.

This thin film is waterproof.

HSK 6

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.

HSK 7-9

细胞膜控制物质的进出。

Xìbāo mó kòngzhì wùzhì de jìnchū.

The cell membrane controls the passage of substances.

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.