孟 mèng — eldest, Meng · English

孟

mèng

eldest, Meng

At a glance · 孟

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

小篆从子皿声，形声字，本指排行第一（长）。隶楷作「孟」。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「孟」本指兄弟中居长者，亦为儒家孟子之姓。

Structure

形声字，子为意符，皿为声符。

At a glance

Pinyinmèng

Radical子

Strokes8

UnicodeU+5B5F

Character type形声

Theme人伦

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English eldest, Meng Eldest (of brothers); Mencius; a surname.

Français aîné, Meng L'aîné (des frères); Mencius; un nom.

Español mayor, Meng El mayor (de hermanos); Mencio; apellido.

العربية الأكبر، منغ الأكبر بين الإخوة أو منغ.

Русский старший, Мэн Старший (из братьев); Мэн-цзы; фамилия.

Common words

孟mèngeldest
孟子mèng ziMencius

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