茫

茫 U+832B, 茫 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-832B ← 茪 [U+832A] CJK Unified Ideographs 茬 → [U+832C]

Translingual

Han character

茫 (Kangxi radical 140, 艸+6, 9 strokes, Cangjie input 廿水卜女 (TEYV), four-corner 4411₀, composition ⿱艹汒)

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 1028, character 17
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 30900
• Dae Jaweon: page 1487, character 15
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 5, page 3210, character 8
• Unihan data for U+832B

Chinese

trad.		茫
simp. #		茫
alternative forms		汒 芒

Glyph origin

Characters in the same phonetic series (亡) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 

	Old Chinese
忙	*maːŋ
芒	*maːŋ, *maŋ
茫	*maːŋ
恾	*maːŋ
吂	*maːŋ, *maːŋs
汒	*maːŋ, *maŋs
朚	*maːŋ, *hmaːŋ, *maŋ, *mraːŋ, *mraːŋs
邙	*maːŋ, *maŋ
杗	*maːŋ, *maŋ
荒	*hmaːŋ, *hmaːŋs
肓	*hmaːŋ
衁	*hmaːŋ
巟	*hmaːŋ
詤	*hmaːŋ, *hmaːŋʔ, *hmaŋʔ
慌	*hmaːŋ, *hmaːŋʔ
謊	*hmaːŋʔ
喪	*smaːŋs, *smaːŋ
亡	*maŋ
望	*maŋ, *maŋs
莣	*maŋ
朢	*maŋ, *maŋs
鋩	*maŋ
硭	*maŋ
忘	*maŋ, *maŋs
网	*mlaŋʔ
罔	*mlaŋʔ
蛧	*maŋʔ
網	*mlaŋʔ
輞	*maŋʔ
棢	*maŋʔ
惘	*maŋʔ
菵	*maŋʔ
誷	*maŋʔ
魍	*maŋʔ
妄	*maŋs
盲	*mraːŋ
蝱	*mraːŋ
虻	*mraːŋ
氓	*mraːŋ
甿	*mraːŋ

Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *maːŋ): semantic 艹 (“grass; plant”) + phonetic 汒 (OC *maːŋ, *maŋs).

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): máng (mang²)

  (Zhuyin): ㄇㄤˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): mong⁴
• Gan (Wiktionary): mong⁴
• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): mòng

  (Hailu, HRS): mong

  (Changting, Changting Pinyin): mông²

• Eastern Min (BUC): mòng
• Puxian Min (Pouseng Ping'ing): morng²
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): bông / bâng

  (Teochew, Peng'im): mang⁵

• Wu (Northern, Wugniu): ⁶maon / ²maon / ²man

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: máng
    • Zhuyin: ㄇㄤˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: máng
    • Wade–Giles: mang²
    • Yale: máng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: mang
    • Palladius: ман (man)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /mɑŋ³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: mong⁴
    • Yale: mòhng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: mong⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: mong⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /mɔːŋ²¹/
• Gan
  • (Nanchang)
    • Wiktionary: mong⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /mɔŋ³⁵/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: mòng
    • Hakka Romanization System: mong^ˇ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: mong²
    • Sinological IPA: /moŋ¹¹/
  • (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
    • Hakka Romanization System: mong
    • Sinological IPA: /moŋ⁵⁵/
  • (Changting)
    • Changting Pinyin: mông²
    • Sinological IPA: /mɔŋ²⁴/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: mòng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /mouŋ⁵³/
• Puxian Min
  • (Putian)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: morng²
    • Báⁿ-uā-ci̍: mó̤ng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /mɒŋ¹³/
  • (Xianyou)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: morng²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /mɒŋ²⁴/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: bông / bâng
    • Tâi-lô: bông / bâng
    • Phofsit Daibuun: boong, baang
    • Sinological IPA (Xiamen): /bɔŋ²⁴/, /baŋ²⁴/
    • Sinological IPA (Quanzhou): /bɔŋ²⁴/, /baŋ²⁴/
    • Sinological IPA (Zhangzhou): /bɔŋ¹³/, /baŋ¹³/
    • Sinological IPA (Taipei): /bɔŋ²⁴/, /baŋ²⁴/
    • Sinological IPA (Kaohsiung): /bɔŋ²³/, /baŋ²³/

Note:

• bông - literary;
• bâng - vernacular.

• (Teochew)
  • Peng'im: mang⁵
  • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: mâng
  • Sinological IPA ^(key): /maŋ⁵⁵/
• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ⁶maon
    • MiniDict: maon^去
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ³maan
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /mɑ̃²³/
  • (Northern: Suzhou, Shaoxing, Ningbo)
    • Wugniu: ²maon
    • MiniDict: maon^平
    • Sinological IPA (Suzhou): /mɑ̃²²³/
    • Sinological IPA (Shaoxing): /mɒŋ²³¹/
    • Sinological IPA (Ningbo): /mɔ̃³¹³/
  • (Northern: Hangzhou)
    • Wugniu: ²man
    • MiniDict: man^平
    • Sinological IPA (Hangzhou): /mɑŋ²³/

---

• Middle Chinese: mang

Rime
Character	茫
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	明 (4)
Final (韻)	唐 (101)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	I
Fanqie	莫郎切
Baxter	mang
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/mɑŋ/
Pan Wuyun	/mɑŋ/
Shao Rongfen	/mɑŋ/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/maŋ/
Li Rong	/mɑŋ/
Wang Li	/mɑŋ/
Bernhard Karlgren	/mɑŋ/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	máng
Expected Cantonese Reflex	mong4

• Old Chinese

  (Zhengzhang): /*maːŋ/

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	茫
Reading #	1/1
No.	12641
Phonetic component	亡
Rime group	陽
Rime subdivision	0
Corresponding MC rime	茫
Old Chinese	/*maːŋ/
Notes	見漢書

Definitions

茫

1. vast; boundless; widespread
2. indistinct; vague
3. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) alternative form of 忙 (máng)

Compounds

• 冥茫
• 前途渺茫
• 微茫 (wēimáng)
• 暮色蒼茫 / 暮色苍茫
• 杳茫
• 浩茫 (hàománg)
• 混茫
• 淼茫 (miǎománg)
• 渺渺茫茫
• 渺茫 (miǎománg)
• 灰茫茫
• 白茫茫 (báimángmáng)
• 茫昧
• 茫洋
• 茫然 (mángrán)
• 茫然不知
• 茫然不解
• 茫然自失 (mángránzìshī)
• 茫然若失 (mángránruòshī)
• 茫然若迷
• 茫然費解 / 茫然费解
• 茫無頭緒 / 茫无头绪
• 茫茫 (mángmáng)
• 荒茫 (huāngmáng)
• 茫茫一片
• 茫茫人海
• 茫茫大海
• 茫茫渺渺
• 茫茫然
• 茫茫苦海
• 茫茫蕩蕩 / 茫茫荡荡
• 蒼茫 / 苍茫 (cāngmáng)
• 迷茫 (mímáng)
• 霧茫茫 / 雾茫茫 (wùmángmáng)
• 黑茫茫

References

• 莆田市荔城区档案馆 [Putian City Licheng District Archives], editor (2022), “茫”, in 莆仙方言文读字汇 [Puxian Dialect Literary Reading Dictionary] (overall work in Mandarin and Puxian Min), page 151.
• 周存 [Zhōu, Cún], editor (2023), “茫”, in 长汀话词典 CHANGTINGHUA CIDIAN [Dictionary of Changting Dialect] (overall work in Hakka and Mandarin), Guangzhou: 世界图书出版有限公司 [World Book Publishing Co., Ltd.], →ISBN, page 413.

Japanese

Kanji

茫

(Hyōgai kanji)

1. wide, expansive

Readings

• Go-on: もう (mō)
• Kan-on: ぼう (bō)
• Kun: とおい (tōi, 茫い)

Korean

Hanja

茫 (eumhun 아득할 망 (adeukhal mang))

1. hanja form^? of 망 (“vast, boundless, widespread”)

Vietnamese

Han character

茫: Hán Việt readings: mang
茫: Nôm readings: mang, màng, mương, mơng

1. chữ Nôm form of mang
   1. to carry
   2. used in mênh mang (“vast and obscure; immense; infinite; endless”)
   3. used in mở mang (“to extend; to expand (one's knowledge, etc.)”)
2. chữ Nôm form of màng (“(chiefly in the negative) to take interest in (something); to be concerned (with)”)