Definitions

máng (adjective) blind
máng (adjective) ignorant; lacking understanding

Etymology

Losing  one's sight  also provides the pronunciation

About

The character 盲, meaning blind, is structured from the component 亡, which implies loss or perishing, placed above 目, meaning eye, forming a ideographic compound that directly suggests the loss of eyesight. Its original sense referred strictly to physical blindness, but over time the meaning expanded metaphorically to indicate a lack of perception or understanding in various domains, such as in the terms for illiteracy or color blindness, reflecting a broader semantic development. The character's form has remained consistent, with no distinct traditional variant that underwent simplification, maintaining its core etymological link between the concept of loss and the faculty of sight.

Etymology Hide

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

Example Sentences Hide

那个人过马路。

Nàge mángrén guò mǎlù.

That blind person is crossing the road.

人使用杖走路。

Mángrén shǐyòng mángzhàng zǒulù.

Blind people use white canes to walk.

不要目相信广告。

Bùyào mángmù xiāngxìn guǎnggào.

Do not blindly believe advertisements.

他小时候是文

Tā xiǎo shíhou shì wénmáng.

He was illiterate when he was young.

人也可以阅读文。

Mángrén yě kěyǐ yuèdú mángwén.

Blind people can also read braille.

避免目投资很重要。

Bìmiǎn mángmù tóuzī hěn zhòngyào.

It is important to avoid blind investment.

在黑暗中我们像人一样。

Zài hēi'àn zhōng wǒmen xiàng mángrén yīyàng.

In the darkness, we are like blind people.

每个人都有知识的点。

Měi gè rén dōu yǒu zhīshì de mángdiǎn.

Everyone has blind spots in knowledge.