麻
má
generic name for hemp, flax etc
surname Ma; hemp or flax fiber for textile materials; sesame; CL:縷|缕[lu:3]; (of materials) rough or coarse; pocked; pitted; to have pins and needles or tingling; to feel numb
shelter (广) + trees (林) = hemp drying under a lean-to
Hemp plants were grown and dried under a lean-to shelter, then their fibers stripped and bundled — the original image is literally stalks of hemp drying under a roof. The coarse, prickling quality of raw hemp fiber naturally extended to the sensations of numbness and tingling.
我的腿坐麻了，站起来很难受。
wǒ de tuǐ zuò má le, zhàn qǐ lái hěn nán shòu。
My legs went numb from sitting, and standing up feels very uncomfortable.
他的脸上有几个麻点，是小时候留下的。
tā de liǎn shàng yǒu jǐ gè má diǎn, shì xiǎo shí hòu liú xià de。
There are a few pockmarks on his face, left over from when he was young.
Words with 麻
自找麻烦
zì zhǎo má fan
to ask for trouble
麻药
má yào
anesthetic
黄麻
huáng má
jute (Corchorus capsularis Linn.)
麻黄
má huáng
ephedra (genus Ephedra)
麻生
má shēng
Asō (name)
麻风
má fēng
leprosy
荨麻疹
xún má zhěn
urticaria
麻醉
má zuì
anesthesia
酥麻
sū má
limp and numb (of limbs)
针刺麻醉
zhēn cì má zuì
acupuncture anesthesia
针麻
zhēn má
acupuncture anesthesia
闭塞眼睛捉麻雀
bì sè yǎn jīng zhuō má què
lit. to catch sparrows blindfolded (idiom)