Definitions

miǎn flood; overflowing

Etymology phono-semantic

water

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

is a phono-semantic compound: the water radical on the left supplies the semantic field of waterways, while the phonetic on the right indicates the sound. Historically, it names the Mian River, a major tributary of the Han in central China, and by extension the adjacent region, including the former Mianyang prefecture. The character is solely a proper noun and has no distinct simplified or traditional form.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern