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莽

Mandarin · pinyin mǎng

(bound form) dense growth of grass
(literary) vast; boundless
(bound form) boorish; reckless

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莽: mǎng · thicket, underbrush; poisonous

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

3 · mang3

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1character link7same-tone records

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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.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 7 senses · 2 Cantonese readings

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

mong5 · mong6

Cantonese word readings for 莽. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

character · Etymology 1

thick weeds, luxuriant growth
Illicium henryi and Illicium lanceolatum, whose fruits resemble star anise but are highly toxic
rude, impertinent

character · Etymology 2

(Sichuanese, of a person) stocky; heavy; stout; fat
(Sichuanese, of an object) thick; bulky
(Sichuanese, of a person) silly; foolish; simple
(Sichuanese, of a person) rash

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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