毛 máo — hair; feather

A way to remember it

A single hair or feather, with the shaft bending at the tip. It means hair, fur and wool, and it is the 毛 in 毛笔 — the brush that made all of these shapes in the first place.

A picture that makes the shape stick — not a claim about the character’s history.

Draft — written with AI help and not yet read by a person. What that means.