猛

měng

孟 + 犭

HSK 3.0Level 7

Definitions

měng (adjective) fierce; ferocious

měng (adjective) violent; aggressive

měng (adjective) brave

měng (adverb) suddenly; abruptly

Etymology phono-semantic

dog

Semantic: 犭 Phonetic: 孟

About

猛 is a phono-semantic compound: the 'dog' radical 犭 (quǎn) suggests a beast, while 孟 (mèng, 'eldest' or 'firstborn') provides the sound. Its core meaning is ferocity and brute strength, originally describing wild predators like tigers and wolves. Over time, the sense broadened from violent animal behavior to any extreme, intense, or sudden action, powerful emotions, abrupt shifts, violent weather, or a sudden, forceful action.

Etymology Hide

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical Cao Wei (Three Kingdoms: 222-280 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

风猛烈地吹着。

Fēng měngliè de chuīzhe.

The wind is blowing fiercely.

他猛然站起来。

Tā měngrán zhàn qǐlái.

He suddenly stood up.

洪水猛涨得很厉害。

Hóngshuǐ měng zhǎng de hěn lìhài.

The flood water is rising sharply and severely.

战士向敌人猛冲过去。

Zhànshì xiàng dírén měng chōng guòqù.

The soldier charged fiercely towards the enemy.

猛兽在森林里寻找食物。

Měng shòu zài sēnlín lǐ xúnzhǎo shíwù.

Beasts of prey are looking for food in the forest.

油价最近猛涨了不少。

Yóujià zuìjìn měng zhǎng le bùshǎo.

The oil price has surged a lot recently.

虽然对手很强，但他猛力反击，终于赢了。

Suīrán duìshǒu hěn qiáng, dàn tā měng lì fǎnjī, zhōngyú yíngle.

Although the opponent was strong, he counterattacked with great force and finally won.

在经济猛增的背景下，社会问题也日益凸显。

Zài jīngjì měng zēng de bèijǐng xià, shèhuì wèntí yě rìyì tūxiǎn.

Against the backdrop of rapid economic growth, social problems are becoming increasingly prominent.

Related Characters

Component: 孟

Component: 犭

猛