孟 meaning and stroke order
First in a series; great, eminent
How to write 孟, stroke by stroke
8 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
Meaning of 孟
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- first month of a season
- eldest amongst brothers
How 孟 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A child 子 sitting on a throne 皿.
Radical: 子 (son), shared by 30 characters on this site.
How to remember 孟
A child 子 (zǐ) sits on top of a vessel 皿 (mǐn), as if placed on a throne. The child raised up highest is the eldest, the first in line.
Today 孟 (mèng) is most often seen as a surname, as in 孟子 (Mèngzǐ, Mencius). It also appears in literary words for the first month of a season, such as 孟春 (mèngchūn, first month of spring). Example: 孟子是很有名的思想家。(Mèngzǐ shì hěn yǒumíng de sīxiǎngjiā.) Mencius was a very famous thinker.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 孟 (mèng) with 盂 (yú, a broad bowl), which has 于 on top instead of 子. Also keep it apart from 梦 (mèng, dream). The two sound exactly alike, but they share no meaning.
孟 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 孟
Learning 孟 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 孟
How many strokes are in 孟?
孟 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 孟 mean?
孟 (mèng) means first in a series; great, eminent.
How do you pronounce 孟?
孟 is pronounced mèng, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 孟?
The radical of 孟 is 子, which carries the idea of "son". Dictionaries list 孟 under this radical.
Is 孟 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 孟 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What do 孟, 仲 and 季 mean together?
They are a traditional order for siblings or for the months of a season. 孟 (mèng) is the first, 仲 (zhòng) is the middle, and 季 (jì) is the last. So 孟秋 is the first month of autumn and 季秋 is the last.
What does 孟浪 mean?
孟浪 (mènglàng) is a literary word meaning rash or reckless. In this word 孟 has nothing to do with being eldest. You will mostly meet it in written or formal Chinese.