盍 is also the simplified spelling of 盇.
DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT
盍
Mandarin · pinyin hé
Meanings
- why not
Characters in this entry
- 盍
- hé · what? why not?
Explore the spelling
Mandarin tones
2 · he2
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
Connected dictionary
1character link66same-tone records
Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.Read this spelling in Classical texts
Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.
Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 6 senses · 1 Cantonese reading
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
hap6
Cantonese word readings for 盍. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.
CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack
Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section
Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.
character
- (Classical) why; how
- (Classical) why not
- used in 盍簪
- used in 盍旦
- original form of 蓋/盖 (gài, “to cover”)
- a surname
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack