乳
- milk;
- to nurse, to breastfeed;
The character refers both to the substance of milk and to the act of feeding an infant with it, and by extension to maternal nourishment and care.
Etymology
A pictographic-ideographic compound derived from the image of a mother feeding a child.
The traditional interpretation describes the form as 孚 (믿을 부) combined with 乙 (새 을).
孚 depicts a child being held in the arms (hand and child).
乚 (乙’s curved form) below represents the mother’s breast.
Together they portray a woman cradling an infant and offering milk — a vivid image of maternal care and nourishment.
Thus, 乳 is a pictorial character (象形字) representing the act of suckling.
In Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字):
「乳，婦人乳子也。从孚，乙聲。」
“乳 means for a woman to nurse her child; composed of 孚 (‘to hold affectionately’) with the sound 乙.”
The early oracle bone inscriptions (甲骨文) already show this meaning, depicting a bent figure (mother) and a smaller one (child) joined by a curved line indicating feeding.
Usage in Korean
母乳 (모유) — mother’s milk
牛乳 (우유) — cow’s milk
乳房 (유방) — breast
乳頭 (유두) — nipple
乳腺 (유선) — mammary gland
乳汁 (유즙) — milk (liquid)
乳兒 (유아) — infant, nursling
哺乳 (포유) — to nurse, or mammalian (as in 哺乳類 “mammals”)
乳製品 (유제품) — dairy product
乳白色 (유백색) — milky white color
Words that derived from 乳
Additional notes
The Kangxi Dictionary (康熙字典) defines:
「乳，哺也，汁也，婦人乳子之謂也。」
“乳 means to nurse or to feed; it also denotes milk or liquid nourishment.”
Archaic synonyms include 哺 (to feed), 哺乳 (to suckle), and 乳哺 (nourishment).
In classical Chinese, 乳 often appeared with verbs denoting nurturing or upbringing, as in:
「乳哺以長，恩深而難忘。」
“She nursed and raised (me); her grace is deep and unforgettable.”
In East Asian thought, 乳 is deeply associated with nurture, compassion, and the generative feminine principle.
In Confucian ethics, the nursing mother symbolizes filial foundation — the earliest human bond and the root of gratitude (孝).
In Buddhist texts, 哺乳 appears as a metaphor for the Buddha nourishing sentient beings with Dharma milk (法乳) — pure teaching that sustains spiritual growth.
「如母哺乳，令子長成；如佛說法，令眾生覺。」
“As a mother nurses her child to growth, so does the Buddha nourish beings with his teaching.”
In Daoist philosophy, the gentle flow of milk represents life’s soft, sustaining energy (陰氣) — the natural force that nurtures without contention.
乳 is a pictographic compound (孚 + 乙) depicting a mother nursing her child, meaning “milk” or “to suckle.”
From its earliest form in oracle inscriptions, it symbolized maternal nourishment and life-giving care.
Over time, it extended to mean milk, breast, and the act of feeding.
Across Confucian, Buddhist, and Daoist traditions, 乳 stands as an emblem of nurture, tenderness, and the sustaining power of life.
