About
The character 溟 (míng) is a phono-semantic compound. Its semantic radical 氵 (shuǐ, water) on the left places it within the category of bodies of water or weather. The phonetic component 冥 (míng) on the right provides the pronunciation and contributes meanings of darkness and depth, together evoking the image of a vast, dark, and unfathomable ocean. Primarily a literary noun for a deep sea, it can also function as an adjective for a misty drizzle. It appears notably in classical literature and poetry, as in the term 沧溟 (cāngmíng), which poetically denotes the boundless, dark blue ocean.
Etymology Hide
