茫 (máng): vast, with no clear boundary, fig. hazy, indistinct
茫 (máng) is a Chinese character meaning “vast, with no clear boundary.” Classified as HSK Level 7-9 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 艹 (semantic) and 汒 (phonetic). It ranks #1925 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 茫 grass. Its radical form 艹 (grass) appears in many related characters such as 花 (huā, flower), 茶 (chá, tea), 菜 (cài, vegetable, dish).
Definitions
- vast, with no clear boundary
- fig. hazy
- indistinct
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 茫 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 迷茫adjective | mí máng | vast and indistinct |
| 渺茫adjective | miǎo máng | uncertain |
| 茫茫adjective | máng máng | boundless |
| 茫然adjective | máng rán | blankly |
| 白茫茫adjective | bái máng máng | (of mist, snow, floodwater etc) a vast expanse of whiteness |
| 苍茫adjective | cāng máng | boundless |
| 一脸茫然 | yī liǎn máng rán | puzzled |
| 茫然失措 | máng rán shī cuò | at a loss (idiom) |
| 夜色苍茫 | yè sè cāng máng | gathering dusk |
| 苦海茫茫 | kǔ hǎi máng máng | sea of bitterness is vast (idiom) |
| 微茫adjective | wēi máng | hazy |
| 喝茫 | hē máng | (slang) to get drunk (Tw) |
| 前途渺茫 | qián tú miǎo máng | not knowing what to do next |
| 混茫 | hùn máng | dim |
| 茫崖市 | máng yá shì | Mangnai, a county-level city in Haixi Mongol and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture 海西蒙古族藏族自治州[Hai3 xi1 Meng3 gu3 zu2 Zang... |
茫 appears in 22 compound words: 23 as the first character, 55 as the last, and 23 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 茫 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (3)
Example Sentences
茫字虽然难写,但意思很有趣。
máng zì suī rán nán xiě , dàn yì sī hěn yǒu qù .
The character "茫" may be difficult to write, but its meaning is quite interesting.
阅读,成为她单调岁月里的微光,让她在迷茫中看见生活的另一种可能。
yuè dòu , chéng wéi tā dān diào suì yuè lǐ de wēi guāng , ràng tā zài mí máng zhōng kàn jiàn shēng huó de lìng yī zhǒng kě néng .
Reading became a glimmer of light in her monotonous life, allowing her to glimpse another possibility for life amid her confusion.
在我看来,有两点: 定义指标:当我们拿到一堆数据时,是茫然无措的。
zài wǒ kàn lái , yǒu liǎng diǎn : dìng yì zhǐ biāo : dāng wǒ men ná dào yī duī shǔ jù shí , shì máng rán wú cuò de .
In my view, there are two points: Defining metrics: When we’re presented with a pile of data, we’re at a loss.
一通洗完之后,环壁四顾心茫然,内心突然涌上了一阵寂寥。
yī tōng xǐ wán zhī hòu , huán bì sì gù xīn máng rán , nèi xīn tū rán chōng shàng le yī zhèn jì liáo .
After finishing his shower, he looked around the room in a daze, and a sudden wave of loneliness washed over him.
放心地写下你的纠结、犹豫、焦虑、迷茫,对他人的不满、愤怒,甚至是恶意。
fàng xīn dì xiě xià nǐ de jiū jié , yóu yù , jiāo lǜ , mí máng , duì tā rén de bù mǎn , fèn nù , shèn zhì shì è yì .
Feel free to write down your inner turmoil, hesitation, anxiety, and confusion, as well as your dissatisfaction with others, anger, and even malice.
...抗皱选购指南,盘点有哪些效果好?抗老不迷茫!
. . . kàng zhòu xuǎn gòu zhǐ nán , pán diǎn yǒu nǎ xiē xiào guǒ hǎo ? kàng lǎo bù mí máng !
...Anti-Wrinkle Buying Guide: Which Products Work Best? Say Goodbye to Anti-Aging Confusion!
我对以后做什么很迷茫。
Wǒ duì yǐhòu zuò shénme hěn mímáng.
I was puzzled about what to do next.
他站在那里,一脸茫然。
Tā zhàn zài nàli, yīliǎnmángrán.
He was standing there with a vacant look.
突然,从茫茫大雾中出现了一艘船。
Tūrán, cóng mángmáng dàwù zhōng chūxiàn le yī sōu chuán.
Suddenly, a ship appeared through the fog.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 茫 (máng) mean in Chinese?
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What characters sound the same as 茫 (máng)?
Is 茫 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
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