Usage of the character 母

the final of a Chinese syllable (the component of a syllable remaining after removal of the initial consonant, if any, and the tone, e.g. the final of "niáng" is "iang")

wángmǔ

亡母

[亡母]

deceased mother

rǔmǔ

乳母

[乳母]

wet nurse

luómǔ

螺母

[螺母]

nut (female component of nut and bolt)

mǔjī

母鸡

[母雞]

hen
don't know (humorous slang mimicking Cantonese 唔知, Jyutping: m4 zi1)

shìmǔ

弑母

[弒母]

matricide
to commit matricide

mǔzǐ

母子

[母子]

mother and child
parent and subsidiary (companies)
principal and interest

Wángmǔ

王母

[王母]

another name for 西王母 ( Xīwángmǔ), Queen Mother of the West

yǎngmǔ

养母

[養母]

foster mother
adoptive mother

mǔchuán

母船

[母船]

mother ship

shuǐmǔ

水母

[水母]

jellyfish
medusa

bǎomǔ

褓母

[褓母]

variant of 保姆 (bǎomǔ)

fùmǔ

父母

[父母]

father and mother; parents

shūmǔ

叔母

[叔母]

aunt
wife of father's younger brother

mǔnü

母女

[母女]

mother and daughter
mother-daughter

mǔ'ài

母爱

[母愛]

maternal love

rénmǔ

人母

[人母]

mother (as a social role)

jiāmǔ

家母

[家母]

(polite) my mother

shēngmǔ

生母

[生母]

natural mother
birth mother

jìmǔ

继母

[繼母]

stepmother

Shèngmǔ

圣母

[聖母]

the Virgin Mary

mǔjī

母机

[母機]

machine tool
mother ship

mǔqīn

母亲

[母親]

mother
also pr. (mǔqin)
CL:個／个 (gè)

mǔdàn

母弹

[母彈]

parent shell (of a cluster bomb)

yìmǔ

益母

[益母]

motherwort (Leonurus heterophyllus)

zǔmǔ

祖母

[祖母]

father's mother
paternal grandmother

yìmǔ

义母

[義母]

adoptive mother

yímǔ

姨母

[姨母]

mother's sister
maternal aunt

dímǔ

嫡母

[嫡母]

father's wife (term used by the children of a concubine)

mǔbǎn

母板

[母板]

motherboard

mǔxiào

母校

[母校]

alma mater

mǔtǐ

母体

[母體]

(zoology, medicine) mother's body
(chemistry etc) parent
matrix
(statistics) population
parent population

mǔxiàn

母线

[母線]

generating line
generatrix (in geometry)
bus (in electronics)
bus bar

jìmǔ

寄母

[寄母]

foster mother

mǔxīng

母星

[母星]

(science fiction) home planet
(astronomy) parent star

dàimǔ

代母

[代母]

godmother
surrogate mother

jiàomǔ

教母

[教母]

godmother

mǔdài

母带

[母帶]

master tape

fēnmǔ

分母

[分母]

denominator of a fraction

zhàngmǔ

丈母

[丈母]

wife's mother; mother-in-law

shìmǔ

世母

[世母]

wife of father's elder brother (old)

mǔxì

母系

[母系]

maternal
matriarchal

bèimǔ

贝母

[貝母]

the bulb of the fritillary (Fritillaria thunbergii)

yìmǔ

异母

[異母]

(of siblings) having the same father but different mothers

mǔtāi

母胎

[母胎]

mother's womb

mǔtāng

母汤

[母湯]

(Tw) (slang) don't; must not; won't do (from Taiwanese 毋通, Tai-lo pr. (m̄-thang), similar to Mandarin 不要 (bùyào) or 不行 (bùxíng))

shèngmǔ

圣母

[聖母]

goddess

mǔtí

母题

[母題]

motif (loanword)
main idea
theme

mǔyǔ

母语

[母語]

native language
mother tongue
(linguistics) parent language

zǐmǔ

子母

[子母]

mother and son
interest and capital
combination of a large object and a smaller one of the same type

hòumǔ

后母

[後母]

stepmother

zhūmǔ

珠母

[珠母]

mother-of-pearl

niàngmǔjūn

酿母菌

[釀母菌]

yeast

yìmǔcǎo

益母草

[益母草]

motherwort (Leonurus heterophyllus or L. cardiaca)

zǔgūmǔ

祖姑母

[祖姑母]

father's father's sister
great aunt

gōngfēnmǔ

公分母

[公分母]

(math.) common denominator

zìmǔbiǎo

字母表

[字母表]

alphabet

hòumǔliǎn

后母脸

[後母臉]

(Tw) (fig.) unpredictable, unstable weather

mǔyèchā

母夜叉

[母夜叉]

witch
shrew
vixen

bíyùnmǔ

鼻韵母

[鼻韻母]

(of Chinese pronunciation) a vowel followed by a nasal consonant

zhēnzhūmǔ

珍珠母

[珍珠母]

mother-of-pearl (used in ornamentation and in TCM)

fùyùnmǔ

复韵母

[複韻母]

compound final

shǒuzìmǔ

首字母

[首字母]

initial letters

mǔgōngsī

母公司

[母公司]

parent company

mǔquánzhì

母权制

[母權制]

matriarchy

gōngmǔliǎ

公母俩

[公母倆]

husband and wife

báiyúnmǔ

白云母

[白雲母]

muscovite; white mica

zǔmǔlü

祖母绿

[祖母綠]

emerald

jiàomǔchún

酵母醇

[酵母醇]

zymosterol

fùmǔqīn

父母亲

[父母親]

parents

luósīmǔ

螺丝母

[螺絲母]

nut (female component of nut and bolt)

Xīwángmǔ

西王母

[西王母]

Xi Wangmu, Queen Mother of the West, keeper of the peaches of immortality
popularly known as 王母娘娘

gāozǔmǔ

高祖母

[高祖母]

great-great-grandmother

shèngmǔbiǎo

圣母婊

[聖母婊]

(Internet slang) sanctimonious bitch

wèimǔrǔ

喂母乳

[餵母乳]

breastfeeding

yímǔxiào

姨母笑

[姨母笑]

(neologism c. 2017) (slang) kindly, indulgent smile (usu. on the face of a woman)

Shèngmǔ Fēng

圣母峰

[聖母峰]

(Tw) Mount Everest

jiàomǔjūn

酵母菌

[酵母菌]

yeast; saccharomycete

mǔhánshù

母函数

[母函數]

generating function (math.)

jìfùmǔ

继父母

[繼父母]

step-parents

mǔnànrì

母难日

[母難日]

(old) birthday

zǔfùmǔ

祖父母

[祖父母]

paternal grandparents

zēngzǔmǔ

曾祖母

[曾祖母]

father's father's mother
paternal great-grandmother

dānyùnmǔ

单韵母

[單韻母]

simple finals

bǔmǔrǔ

哺母乳

[哺母乳]

breastfeeding

zìmǔcí

字母词

[字母詞]

word that contains one or more letters of an alphabet (e.g. HSK, PK, WTO, PO文, PM2.5, γ射線／γ射线 (γshèxiàn))

shēngfùmǔ

生父母

[生父母]

biological parents
natural parents

shūzhàngmǔ

叔丈母

[叔丈母]

wife's aunt

zhìshuǐmǔ

栉水母

[櫛水母]

comb jellies (Ctenophora)

xiāndàmǔ

先大母

[先大母]

my late paternal grandmother

shūzǔmǔ

叔祖母

[叔祖母]

wife of paternal grandfather's younger brother

yìfùmǔ

义父母

[義父母]

adoptive parents

mǔlǎohǔ

母老虎

[母老虎]

tigress
(fig.) fierce woman
vixen

shuǐmǔtǐ

水母体

[水母體]

jellyfish
medusa

mǔxìbāo

母细胞

[母細胞]

(biology) mother cell; matricyte

wàizǔmǔ

外祖母

[外祖母]

mother's mother
maternal grandmother

mǔqúntǐ

母群体

[母群體]

(statistics) population
parent population

língshēngmǔ

零声母

[零聲母]

(Chinese linguistics) zero initial (the initial of a syllable that does not begin with a consonant)

zǐmǔdàn

子母弹

[子母彈]

(military) cluster bomb
shrapnel

zhàngmǔniáng

丈母娘

[丈母娘]

wife's mother; mother-in-law

zǐmǔkòu

子母扣

[子母扣]

snap fastener

Mǔqīnjié

母亲节

[母親節]

Mother's Day

mǔtāisolo

母胎solo

[母胎solo]

(slang) never been in a romantic relationship

xiánqīliángmǔ

贤妻良母

[賢妻良母]

a good wife and loving mother

Lādīngzìmǔ

拉丁字母

[拉丁字母]

Latin alphabet

zēngwàizǔmǔ

曾外祖母

[曾外祖母]

great-grandmother (mother's grandmother)

luǎnmǔxìbāo

卵母细胞

[卵母細胞]

(biology) oocyte; ovocyte

zìmǔshùnxù

字母顺序

[字母順序]

alphabetical order

bóshūzǔmǔ

伯叔祖母

[伯叔祖母]

father's father's brother's wife
great aunt

tóngmǔyìfù

同母异父

[同母異父]

(of siblings) having the same mother but different fathers
half (brother or sister)

Luómǎzìmǔ

罗马字母

[羅馬字母]

Roman letters
Roman alphabet

hángkōngmǔjiàn

航空母舰

[航空母艦]

aircraft carrier (CL:艘 (sōu))
(coll.) (metaphor for sth huge, whale-like)

yīshífùmǔ

衣食父母

[衣食父母]

the people one depends upon for one's livelihood
one's bread and butter

mǔxìshèhuì

母系社会

[母系社會]

matrilineality

shèngmǔjiàotáng

圣母教堂

[聖母教堂]

Church of Our Lady
Frauenkirche

dàitìfùmǔ

代替父母

[代替父母]

in place of sb's parents
in loco parentis (law)

Xīlàzìmǔ

希腊字母

[希臘字母]

Greek alphabet

fùmǔshuāngwáng

父母双亡

[父母雙亡]

to have lost both one's parents

táohuāshuǐmǔ

桃花水母

[桃花水母]

freshwater jellyfish (Craspedacusta)

Hánwénzìmǔ

韩文字母

[韓文字母]

hangul, Korean phonetic alphabet; Korean letters

mǔyīntiáohé

母音调和

[母音調和]

vowel harmony (in phonetics)

dàilǐyùnmǔ

代理孕母

[代理孕母]

(Tw) surrogacy
surrogate pregnancy
surrogate mother

xiǎoxiězìmǔ

小写字母

[小寫字母]

lowercase (letters)

Nígēdǐmǔ

尼哥底母

[尼哥底母]

Nicodemus, prominent Jew of the time of Christ, mentioned in the Gospel of John

dēngtǎshuǐmǔ

灯塔水母

[燈塔水母]

immortal jellyfish (Turritopsis dohrnii)

pīnyīnzìmǔ

拼音字母

[拼音字母]

phonetic letters

mǔrǔwèiyǎng

母乳喂养

[母乳餵養]

breastfeeding

sēngmàoshuǐmǔ

僧帽水母

[僧帽水母]

(zoology) Portuguese man o' war (Physalia physalis)

zhùyīnzìmǔ

注音字母

[注音字母]

see 注音符號／注音符号 (zhùyīnfúhào)

lú'ēnzìmǔ

卢恩字母

[盧恩字母]

rune

liànmǔqíngjié

恋母情结

[戀母情結]

Oedipus complex

Cháoxiǎnzìmǔ

朝鲜字母

[朝鮮字母]

hangul, Korean phonetic alphabet
Korean letters

luómǔluóshuān

螺母螺栓

[螺母螺栓]

nuts and bolts

fùhémǔyīn

复合母音

[複合母音]

diphthong
compound vowel

zēngzǔfùmǔ

曾祖父母

[曾祖父母]

great-grandparents

tóngfùyìmǔ

同父异母

[同父異母]

(of siblings) having the same father but different mothers
half (brother or sister)

dàxiězìmǔ

大写字母

[大寫字母]

capital letters
uppercase letters

Wángmǔniángniáng

王母娘娘

[王母娘娘]

another name for Xi Wangmu 西王母, Queen Mother of the West

zàishēngfùmǔ

再生父母

[再生父母]

like a second parent (idiom); one's great benefactor

zǐmǔzhàdàn

子母炸弹

[子母炸彈]

cluster bomb

zhàdànzhīmǔ

炸弹之母

[炸彈之母]

Massive Ordinance Air Blast (MOAB), or Mother of All Bombs, a powerful American bomb

mǔtāidānshēn

母胎单身

[母胎單身]

never been in a romantic relationship

dàiyùnmǔqīn

代孕母亲

[代孕母親]

surrogate mother

zǐmǔpàodàn

子母炮弹

[子母炮彈]

artillery cluster bomb

èrchóngmǔyīn

二重母音

[二重母音]

diphthong

zuòshēngshuǐmǔ

座生水母

[座生水母]

sessile medusa
sea anemone

zuìxiǎogōngfēnmǔ

最小公分母

[最小公分母]

lowest common denominator

shǒuzìmǔsuōxiě

首字母缩写

[首字母縮寫]

acronym

Shèngmǔshēngtiānjié

圣母升天节

[聖母升天節]

Assumption of the Virgin Mary (Christian festival on 15th August)

mǔrǔhuànǎifěn

母乳化奶粉

[母乳化奶粉]

infant formula

Xīlǐ'ěrzìmǔ

西里尔字母

[西里爾字母]

Cyrillic alphabet
Cyrillic letters

Sāmǔ'ěrjìshàng

撒母耳记上

[撒母耳記上]

First book of Samuel

Shèngmǔ Mǎlìyà

圣母玛利亚

[聖母瑪利亞]

Mary (mother of Jesus)

Bālí Shèngmǔyuàn

巴黎圣母院

[巴黎聖母院]

Notre-Dame Cathedral (Paris, France)

Sāmǔ'ěrjìxià

撒母耳记下

[撒母耳記下]

Second book of Samuel

mǔrǔdàiyòngpǐn

母乳代用品

[母乳代用品]

breast milk substitute

sānshíliùzìmǔ

三十六字母

[三十六字母]

thirty six initial consonants of Song phonetic theory

mǔzǐchuízhígǎnrǎn

母子垂直感染

[母子垂直感染]

mother-to-infant transmission

shǒuzìmǔpīnyīncí

首字母拚音词

[首字母拚音詞]

acronym

hángkōngmǔjiànzhàndòuqún

航空母舰战斗群

[航空母艦戰鬥群]

carrier-based vanguard group (CBVG)
naval battle group led by an aircraft carrier

shībàishìchénggōngzhīmǔ

失败是成功之母

[失敗是成功之母]

Failure is the mother of success.

hédònglìhángkōngmǔjiàn

核动力航空母舰

[核動力航空母艦]

nuclear-powered aircraft carrier

xūyàoshìfāmíngzhīmǔ

需要是发明之母

[需要是發明之母]

Necessity is the mother of invention (European proverb).

érbùxiánmǔchǒu,gǒubùxiánjiāpín

儿不嫌母丑，狗不嫌家贫

[兒不嫌母醜，狗不嫌家貧]

a son won't abandon his mother for being ugly, just as a dog won't abandon its owner for being poor (proverb)

zǐbùxiánmǔchǒu,gǒubùxiánjiāpín

子不嫌母丑，狗不嫌家贫

[子不嫌母醜，狗不嫌家貧]

see 兒不嫌母醜，狗不嫌家貧／儿不嫌母丑，狗不嫌家贫 (érbùxiánmǔchǒu,gǒubùxiánjiāpín)

zàijiākàofùmǔ,chūménkàopéngyou

在家靠父母，出门靠朋友

[在家靠父母，出門靠朋友]

one depends on one's parents when at home, and on one's friends when away from home (idiom)

zàijiākàofùmǔ,chūwàikàopéngyou

在家靠父母，出外靠朋友

[在家靠父母，出外靠朋友]

one depends on one's parents when at home, and on one's friends when away from home (idiom)