胧

朧

lóng

月 + 龙

Definitions

lóng (adjective) dim; misty (of moonlight)

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 月 represents the meaning and 龙 represents the sound. Simplified form of 朧.

Semantic: 月 Phonetic: 龙

About

胧 (lóng) is the simplified form of the traditional character 朧, a phono-semantic compound combining the moon radical 月 on the left with a phonetic component on the right. The moon radical establishes a semantic link to moonlight, dimness, or nighttime, while the right side originally featured 龍 (lóng) and was simplified to 龙 (lóng), reducing the stroke count without altering the pronunciation. This character appears almost exclusively in compound words to describe the dim, hazy light of the moon, and is often extended metaphorically to convey vague mental states or ambiguous situations.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

今晚的月色很朦胧。

Jīn wǎn de yuè sè hěn méng lóng.

Tonight's moonlight is very hazy.

清晨的雾气很朦胧。

Qīng chén de wù qì hěn méng lóng.

The morning fog is very hazy.

他的记忆有些朦胧。

Tā de jì yì yǒu xiē méng lóng.

His memory is somewhat hazy.

我喜欢在朦胧的灯光下看书。

Wǒ xǐ huān zài méng lóng de dēng guāng xià kàn shū.

I like to read under hazy light.

远处的山峦在雾中显得很朦胧。

Yuǎn chù de shān luán zài wù zhōng xiǎn dé hěn méng lóng.

The distant mountains appear very hazy in the fog.

她对那段往事只有朦胧的印象。

Tā duì nà duàn wǎng shì zhǐ yǒu méng lóng de yìn xiàng.

She only has a hazy impression of that past event.

尽管天色朦胧，我们还是决定出发。

Jǐn guǎn tiān sè méng lóng, wǒ men hái shì jué dìng chū fā.

Although the sky is hazy, we still decided to set out.

月光透过朦胧的窗纱，洒在安静的地板上。

Yuè guāng tòu guò méng lóng de chuāng shā, sǎ zài ān jìng de dì bǎn shàng.

Moonlight filters through the hazy window screen, sprinkling on the quiet floor.

Related Characters

Component: 月

Component: 龙

胧