母子
mǔ zǐ · HSK 6
mother and child
👩👦 母 mother + 子 child = the mother-child bond
The compound is transparent: 母 (mother) paired with 子 (child/son). Extended to any parent-subsidiary relationship — a mother company and its child company, or principal (mother sum) and interest (child sum).
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'.
子 — pictograph of a baby/child with arms out
子 began as a pictograph of a swaddled infant with a large head and outstretched arms, originally meaning 'baby' or 'child.' From there it broadened to 'son,' 'offspring,' and a respectful suffix for masters like 孔子 (Confucius). It also became one of the twelve earthly branches.