茫 (máng) — vast and blurred; vague, at a loss

entries → 茫

TSUMUGU · TOCFL B2 (est.) · 字

茫 character · TOCFL B2 (est.)

茫＝艹＋氵＋亡

ㄇㄤˊ · máng

adj — vast and blurred; vague, at a loss

字源 FORM — what the parts do

艹義grass

氵義water — the old graph 汒 was wide water (水廣也)

亡聲wáng — gives the soundthe same 亡 as in 死亡, worn from wáng to máng

{m,w}ITwáng → máng — the {m,w} crossing, tone shifts too

Grass (艹) over wide water (氵亡 = 汒) — the eye runs out to where grass and water blur into one flat expanse. 亡 wáng carries the sound, worn to máng. From the boundless view comes the inner blur: 茫然, lost and at a loss.

故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by

草（艹）連著水（氵），一直鋪到天邊——望出去，茫茫一片。

Grass (艹) meets water (氵) and runs flat to the horizon — you look out, and it is all one blur.

字源記憶法

意 · Meanings

(本義)茫茫、蒼茫— vast and blurred常用

→茫然— blank, at a loss

⇒渺茫— dim, slim (of a hope)

(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension