search, imitate, copy
摸 centers on using one's hands to explore or reproduce something: searching by touch, imitating a form, or copying a pattern.
摸 combines 扌 (hand) with 莫, which likely contributes the sound and may relate to the idea of searching or copying by hand. The exact historical development is uncertain.
The hand radical 扌 beside 莫 suggests a hand feeling around in the dark (莫 can suggest darkness or obscurity). Picture groping with your hands to search, then imitating what you find.
For モ, imagine your hand searching for a morsel of food in the dark: morsel -> モ, and your hand copies the motion of picking it up.
—