The Apothecary Diaries is back with Part 2 of its first season, and with it comes interesting developments with Maomao. With its latest episode now out, Apothecary Diaries fans may be wondering why Maomao is called Xiaomao by some characters.
This is especially apparent in the newest episode as Maomao is called Xiaomao by a new character that was introduced.
There’s actually an interesting reason for this, though it’s important to first note what her name means.
Spoiler Warning: There are spoilers for The Apothecary Diaries in this article.
Maomao’s Name Has an Adorable Meaning
The Apothecary Diaries is the latest anime from OLM, and its setting is heavily inspired by Ancient China. Thus, even the characters’ names are Chinese in origin.
Maomao is an interesting and quite adorable name, and it perfectly fits the anime’s main character. That’s because, in Chinese, "mao" means cat. Thus, Maomao literally means “cat cat.”
This is not just a cute name for her as it’s also a perfect fit, as many fans have no doubt seen in the show’s previous episodes.
At various points throughout the series, the show’s characters transform into a super-deformed style for comic effect. Maomao is the most common character to transform, and she gets cat ears in this cutesy style.
Pretty much every other character calls her by her name, the only exception being Gaoshun, Jinshi's assistant.
Gaoshun instead calls her Xiaomao. Now, another character also calls her by this name.
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The Apothecary Diaries: Why Maomao Is Called Xiaomao, Explained
In the latest episode, Maomao returns to the palace, but she is now assigned to the outer palace instead of the rear palace.
There, she meets Suiren, another assistant of Jinshi. Upon meeting her, Suiren calls her Xiaomao, implying that Gaoshun has told Suiren about her.
It’s not explained in the anime why Gaoshun calls her Xiaomao, but this name also suits her given its meaning in Chinese.
"Xiao" means small in Chinese, so "Xiaomao" means “small cat” – another perfect descriptor for Maomao given her small stature.
So far, only Gaoshun and Suiren call her Xiaomao. Based on its meaning though, it may be an even better fit for her.
Interestingly, "xiao" is also used as a term of endearment. This can explain Maomao's reaction to being called Xiaomao by Suiren as she hasn't met her before.
The Apothecary Diaries will feature more of Xiaomao in the next episode, which will be released this coming weekend.
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