磨

mó

HSK 7

磨 — mó

1. to rub, grind, polish or sharpen (by friction)

   他用砂纸把桌子表面磨平了。 tāyòng shāzhǐ bǎ zhuōzi biǎomiàn mópíng le — He sanded the table surface smooth.

2. to wear down; to erode; (of a force or habit) to gradually reduce or die out

   长期摩擦会把材料表面磨薄。 chángqī mócā huì bǎ cáiliào biǎomiàn mó báo — Long-term friction will wear the material surface thin.

3. to pester, to nag, to waste time (colloquial: bother someone persistently)

   别再磨我了，我还有很多事要做。 bié zài mó wǒ le wǒ háiyǒu hěnduō shì yào zuò — Stop nagging me, I have a lot to do.

4. to waste time; to dawdle; to trifle (often 吃磨 or 磨时间)

   别在这儿磨，快点出发。 bié zài zhèér mó kuàidiǎn chūfā — Don't dawdle here, let's go.

5. to insist or press someone persistently (colloquial)

   他一直在那儿磨我们要他做决定。 tā yìzhí zài nàér mó wǒmen yào tā zuò juédìng — He kept pressing us to make him decide.

6. to die out (of sounds, tones) — literary/idiomatic

   随着时代变迁，某些习俗逐渐被磨没了。 suízhe shídài biànqiān mǒuxiē xísú zhújiàn bèi mó méile — With changing times, some customs have gradually faded away.

磨 — mò

1. grindstone; millstone (stone used for grinding)

   老式作坊里还能看到大磨在转。 lǎoshì zuōfang lǐ hái néng kàndào dà mó zài zhuǎn — You can still see the big grindstone turning in old workshops.

2. to grind; to turn (as a wheel or stone turns)

   水车带动磨子不停地磨谷物。 shuǐchē dàidòng mòzǐ bùtíng dì mó gǔwù — The waterwheel drives the millstone to grind grain continuously.