Definitions

mèng (adjective) eldest; first
mèng (noun) first month of a season

Etymology

A child  sitting on a throne 

About

Composed of the components 子 meaning 'child' and 皿 meaning 'vessel', the character 孟 originally conveyed the idea of a firstborn child, leading to its use as a term for the eldest in a family. From this basis, its meaning broadened to signify the first or beginning of a series, such as in the names of months like 孟春 for the first month of spring. Throughout its history, the character has been adopted as a common surname and used in historical names like 孟子, while its core semantic association with precedence and initiation has persisted.

Etymology Hide

Bronze etymology image
Bronze Late Shang dynasty (~1100 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Early Spring and Autumn (~700 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Late Spring and Autumn (~500 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

子是一位伟大的思想家。

Mèngzǐ shì yī wèi wěidà de sīxiǎngjiā.

Mencius was a great thinker.

先生经常来这家书店。

Mèng xiānsheng jīngcháng lái zhè jiā shūdiàn.

Mr. Meng often comes to this bookstore.

春时节,天气开始变暖。

Mèngchūn shíjié, tiānqì kāishǐ biàn nuǎn.

In early spring, the weather starts to get warmer.

他姓,是我的大学同学。

Tā xìng Mèng, shì wǒ de dàxué tóngxué.

His surname is Meng, and he is my university classmate.

这位经理做事非常认真。

Zhè wèi Mèng jīnglǐ zuòshì fēichāng rènzhēn.

Manager Meng does things very conscientiously.

之道是中国传统文化的重要组成部分。

Kǒng Mèng zhī dào shì Zhōngguó chuántǒng wénhuà de zhòngyào zǔchéng bùfèn.

The teachings of Confucius and Mencius are an important component of traditional Chinese culture.

加拉国是一个人口稠密的国家。

Mèngjiālāguó shì yīgè rénkǒu chóumì de guójiā.

Bangladesh is a densely populated country.

秋的夜晚已经能感到些许凉意。

Mèngqiū de yèwǎn yǐjīng néng gǎndào xiēxǔ liángyì.

On early autumn nights, one can already feel a slight chill.