陌生
mòshēng · HSK 7
unfamiliar
🛣️ 陌 = footpath between fields + 生 = raw/new = a raw path you have never walked
陌 is an unfamiliar dirt path between fields and 生 means raw or unripe. Put together, 陌生 marks people or places that feel new and untrodden to you — strange and unfamiliar.
生 — sprout 屮 above earth 土
Originally a pictograph showing a young plant sprouting from the ground, with 屮 (a sprout) above 土 (earth). The core meaning is 'to be born, to grow, to live,' which extends to 'raw, unripe, unfamiliar.' The modern form has simplified the sprout shape but preserves the image of new growth emerging from soil.