母亲
mǔqīn · HSK 3
mother
👩👧 母 = mother radical + 亲 = kin/close; literally 'mother-kin'
母 alone means mother (the character shows two dots for breasts on a kneeling figure). 亲 means relative or intimate. Together 母亲 is the formal, written word for mother, more respectful than the colloquial 妈妈.
母 — pictograph of kneeling woman with two breast dots
母 is a pictograph derived from 女 (woman) with two added dots representing breasts, marking a nursing mother. The earliest oracle bone forms show a kneeling figure with prominent dots on the chest. The meaning has stayed remarkably stable, denoting 'mother' and by extension 'female' or 'source/origin'.
亲 — 立 (stand) + 木 (tree); simplified from 親
The traditional form 親 combined 亲 (phonetic, depicting a hazelnut tree) with 見 (see), suggesting closeness through frequent seeing of family. In simplified Chinese, 見 was dropped, leaving 亲. It now means 'parent,' 'intimate,' or 'in person,' and as qìng denotes in-laws.