Definitions

máng black horse with a white face

Etymology

About

駹 is a phono-semantic compound that reflects the detailed equine vocabulary of historical China. Its semantic radical 馬 (mǎ, horse) denotes the animal category, while the phonetic component 尨 (máng) provides the pronunciation. The character specifically means "a black horse with a white face". This precise description was essential for breeding, military logistics, and identifying valuable livestock in antiquity. It appears with this exact definition in classical literature, military records, and poetry describing particular mounts, without developing broader meanings in the standard lexicon.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern