[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/mao/)

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# mao

proper noun (Mao — a name); Mandarin pinyin (mao)

«mao» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (a name) Mao usually means Mao Zedong, the leader of the Communist Party who ruled the People's Republic of China from its start until his death. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mao/#m1)
2. (Mandarin, pinyin) «Máo» (毛) means hair, fur or feather, and is also a small unit of Chinese money: ten mao make one yuan. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mao/#m2)
3. (Mandarin, pinyin) «Māo» (猫) means cat. It sounds like "mow" (rhymes with "cow"). It is not an English word. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mao/#m3)
4. Mao is also the name of a showy, boastful peacock in Kipling's Jungle Book stories. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mao/#m4)

### In the lessons

In history lessons, Mao is a key figure of modern China: he led the Communists to power, and his rule is remembered both for uniting the country and for campaigns in which millions of people died of famine and persecution; historians and Chinese people today judge him in different ways. In Mandarin lessons and on Chinese streets, «máo» is used for money (like ten pence), and «māo» is a cat; the tone changes the meaning. Phrases: «Chairman Mao», «yí kuài wǔ máo» (one yuan fifty).

### Examples

- (a name) Chairman Mao led China for many years. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mao/#x1)
- (a name) Mao's picture hangs over the gate in Tiananmen Square in Beijing. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mao/#x2)
- (Mandarin, pinyin) Wǔ máo means five mao, half a yuan. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mao/#x3)
- (Mandarin, pinyin) Wǒ yǒu yì zhī māo — I have a cat. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mao/#x4)
- (Mandarin, pinyin) In Chinese, «máo» can mean fur or feathers. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mao/#x5)
- Historians still argue about Mao's rule. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mao/#x6)
- He dances like Mao the Peacock. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mao/#x7)

### Note

Capital M for the person. In pinyin the tone marks matter: māo (cat, high level tone) vs máo (hair, money, rising tone). In speech the money unit is called «máo»; on notes it is written «jiǎo». It is not an English word apart from the name.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «mao» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mao/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«mao» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/mao.html) on Mova free.