幕

Physical objects: Fabric enclosures ranging from interior curtains and screens used for privacy to external military tents. In campaign contexts, it often denotes the command center or headquarters.

Metonymic extensions: The personnel operating within such spaces, specifically the inner circle, consultants, or secretarial staff of a commander or official (e.g., 幕僚). This implies influence exerted from a position of privacy.

Primarily a noun; frequently functions locatively to mean "inside the headquarters" or "within the inner circle."

Compared to other fabric enclosures:

• 帷 (wéi): Tends toward lighter drapery or specifically the curtain at a tent's entrance.
• 帳 (zhàng): Often refers to canopies, bed-curtains, or coverings that hang over as well as around.
• 幕 (mù): Generally more structural; denotes the enclosure itself.

The compound 帷幕 encompasses the entire setup of screens and tents.

Semantic variant: 穆 (U+5E59). When appearing as a variant for 幕, it is likely a phonetic loan or scribal variation; meanings associated with "solemnity" or "harmony" should not be read into the glyph in this context.