Dictionary › 霉

霉

méi

HSK 5 Character

What 霉 means

1. mold
2. mildew
3. to become moldy

Other readings

霉 is 多音字 — it is read more than one way, and the reading changes the meaning.

• méivariant of {霉|méi}

Example sentences

• 他倒霉极了。
  Tā dǎoméi jíle.
  He is shit out of luck.
• 他倒霉透了。
  Tā dǎoméi tòu le.
  He is shit out of luck.
• 我真的很倒霉！
  Wǒ zhēn de hěn dǎoméi!
  I really am unlucky!
• 台子上有个发霉的面包。
  Táizi shàng yǒu gè fāméi de miànbāo.
  A moldy loaf of bread lay on the table.

Words starting with 霉

• 霉气méi qìa moldy smell; damp and rotten; fig. rotten bad luck
• 霉烂méi lànmold; rot
• 霉病méi bìngmildew; fungal growth
• 霉菌méi jūnmold
• 霉变méi biànto become moldy
• 霉运méi yùnill luck; misfortune
• 霉素méi sù(pharmacology) -mycin (suffix)
• 霉豆腐méi dòu fufermented tofu
• 霉菌毒素méi jūn dú sùmycotoxin
• 霉浆菌肺炎méi jiāng jūn fèi yánmycoplasma pneumonia
• 霉雨méi yǔvariant of 梅雨
• 霉干菜méi gān càivariant of 梅干菜

Words containing 霉

• 倒霉dǎo méito have bad luck; to be out of luck
• 发霉fā méito become moldy
• 青霉素qīng méi sù(pharmacology) penicillin
• 带霉dài méimusty; moldy
• 防霉fáng méito inhibit mold; mold-proof; mildew-proof
• 倒血霉dǎo xuè méito have rotten luck (stronger version of 倒霉
• 倒霉蛋dǎo méi dàn(colloquial) poor devil; unfortunate man
• 新霉素xīn méi sù(pharmacology) neomycin
• 氯霉素lǜ méi sù(pharmacology) chloramphenicol
• 红霉素hóng méi sù(pharmacology) erythromycin
• 触霉头chù méi tóuto cause sth unfortunate to happen (to oneself or sb else); to do sth inauspicious…
• 金霉素jīn méi sù(pharmacology) chlortetracycline
• 黄曲霉huáng qū méiAspergillus flavus (fungus typically found on crops)
• 克林霉素kè lín méi sù(pharmacology) clindamycin
• 庆大霉素qìng dà méi sù(pharmacology) gentamicin
• 曲霉毒素qǔ méi dú sùaspergillus
• 林可霉素lín kě méi sù(pharmacology) lincomycin
• 毛霉菌病máo méi jūn bìngmucormycosis
• 阿奇霉素ā qí méi sù(pharmacology) azithromycin
• 黄曲霉菌huáng qū méi jūnAspergillus flavus (fungus typically found on crops)
• 肺炎霉浆菌fèi yán méi jiāng jūnMycoplasma pneumoniae
• 黄曲霉毒素huáng qū méi dú sùaflatoxin
• 玉米赤霉烯酮yù mǐ chì méi xī tóngzearalenone
• 克霉唑kè méi zuòclotrimazole (antifungal agent)

Characters built on 每

These share the phonetic component 每 (měi), which is why their readings rhyme. Learning them as a family is far cheaper than learning them one at a time.

• 梅méiplum; plum flower; Japanese apricot (Prunus mume)
• 酶méienzyme; ferment
• 莓méi(bound form) berry (e.g. strawberry, blackberry, loganberry)
• 脢méimeat on the back of an animal

Characters that look like 霉

Easy to confuse on sight. Compare them side by side once and the pair stops costing you.

• 需xūto require; to need; to want
• 霍huò(literary) suddenly
• 震zhènto shake; to vibrate; to jolt
• 霎shàall of a sudden; drizzle
• 廖Liàosurname Liao
• 霄xiāofirmament; heaven

Sounds the same

Read méi, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 没(negative prefix for verbs) have not; not
• 媒medium; intermediary; matchmaker
• 煤coal
• 眉eyebrow; upper margin
• 枚classifier for small objects: coins, badges, rings, carved seals, chess pieces, eggs…
• 梅plum; plum flower; Japanese apricot (Prunus mume)
• 玫(fine jade); used in 玫瑰
• 莓(bound form) berry (e.g. strawberry, blackberry, loganberry)
• 酶enzyme; ferment
• 湄(literary) shore; coast; bank
• 楣lintel; crossbeam
• 糜millet