Definitions

méng a long narrow war-boat

Etymology phono-semantic

boat

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

is constructed as a phono-semantic compound, combining the semantic radical (boat) on the left with the phonetic (méng) on the right. Throughout its history, this character has been almost exclusively used together with to form the compound 艨艟, which designates a leather-covered assault warship historically employed in Chinese naval warfare to protect sailors from arrows. The meaning is tightly bound to this specific military context and does not typically function as an independent word.