Definitions

méng rafters supporting roof tiles

Etymology ideographic

Beams  supporting roof  tiles 

About

is a phono-semantic compound meaning the ridge of a roof, the highest point where tiles meet. The semantic radical (tile, earthenware) sits at the bottom, anchoring the character to roofing materials. Above it, the phonetic component consists of , , and . Etymologically, it strictly denotes the roof ridge and frequently appears in classical literature and architectural descriptions to convey the grand, sweeping rooflines of traditional buildings. The pairing of the tile classifier with this phonetic structure creates a highly specialized term for traditional architectural aesthetics.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Seal etymology image
Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Cao Wei (Three Kingdoms: 222-280 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern