黾

黽

měng, mǐn

口 + 电

Definitions

měng toad

mǐn to strive

Etymology

Simplified form of 黽. Pictograph of a toad.

About

黾 is the simplified form of 黽, a pictograph of a toad depicting its large head and sprawling legs. It serves as a radical in characters related to amphibians. The character has two distinct modern readings: when pronounced měng, it retains the original zoological meaning, referring to frogs or toads; when pronounced mǐn, it means to strive or work diligently, most notably in the compound 黾勉 (mǐnmiǎn), which denotes urging oneself to exert effort.