耗

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to waste; to spend; to consume; to squander; news; (coll.) to delay; to dilly-dally

Sound it out + =

Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

Phono-semantic compound (形声字)

耒 meaning “plow” + 毛 sound ( máo )

Components 耒毛

consume · Heisig RSH #2849

Christmas tree + 毛 fur

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
耗油量	hào yóu liàng	fuel consumption
狗拿耗子	gǒu ná hào zi	lit. a dog who catches mice; to be meddlesome (idiom)
消耗战	xiāo hào zhàn	war of attrition
消耗量	xiāo hào liàng	rate of consumption
消耗品	xiāo hào pǐn	consumable goods; expendable item
耗子	hào zi	(dialect) mouse; rat
耗子尾汁	hào zi wěi zhī	you're on your own (pun on 好自為之\|好自为之[hao3 zi4 wei2 zhi1])
耗电	hào diàn	to consume electricity; power consumption
耗力	hào lì	to require much effort
耗时耗力	hào shí hào lì	requiring much time and effort
耗时	hào shí	time-consuming; to take a period of (x amount of time)
瞎猫碰上死耗子	xiā māo pèng shàng sǐ hào zi	a blind cat finds a dead mouse (idiom); blind luck
音耗	yīn hào	message
回耗	huí hào	to write back; to send a reply
内耗	nèi hào	internal friction; internal dissipation of energy (in mechanics); fig. waste or discord wi…
油耗	yóu hào	fuel consumption
耗能	hào néng	to consume energy
能耗	néng hào	energy consumption
耗失	hào shī	(of sth that should be retained: nutrients, moisture, heat etc) to be lost
猫哭耗子	māo kū hào zi	the cat weeps for the dead mouse (idiom); hypocritical pretence of condolence; crocodile t…

Characters sharing the sound component 毛 — compare how they read.

Character	Pinyin	Meaning
毛 sound part	máo	hair, fur, feathers; coarse
耄	mào	selderly person; old, senile
髦	máo	fashionable, in vogue; mane, flowing hair
酕	máo	drunk, blotto