莽
thicket; reckless
At a glance · 莽
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 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.
小篆从犬在茻（众草）中，会犬行草丛之意，本义为草丛。隶楷演变为「莽」。甲骨文未见。
What the sketch shows
Origins & notes
本义为茂密的草丛，引申为粗鲁。
Structure
会意字，从茻（众草）从犬，犬行草中，表草丛。
At a glance
Pinyinmǎng
Radical艹
Strokes11
UnicodeU+83BD
Character type会意
Theme植物
Six languages, one character
Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.
English
thicket; reckless
Dense grass; also reckless or bold.
Français
fourré; imprudent
Herbes denses ; aussi imprudent.
Español
maleza; imprudente
Hierba espesa; también imprudente.
العربية
أدغال؛ متهور
حشائش كثيفة؛ ويُستعار للتهور.
Русский
чаща; опрометчивый
Густая трава; также опрометчивый.
Common words
- 莽mǎngluxuriant
- 草莽cǎo mǎngwilds