妄

wàng
adjective #10,623

Meanings

  1. 1 absurd
  2. 2 rash
  3. 3 presumptuous
  4. 4 reckless

Examples

HSK 5
Búyào wàng xià jiélùn.
Don't jump to conclusions rashly.
HSK 7-9
Tā de wàngxiǎng tài búqiè-shíjì le.
His delusions are too unrealistic.

Tips

usage
妄 is mostly used in literary/formal compounds: 妄想 (delusion), 妄言 (wild talk), 狂妄 (arrogant), 妄自菲薄 (to be unduly humble).

Components

radical
女 nǚ
woman; female
Bottom 女 - a kneeling figure with arms folded, the woman radical. Its presence in 妄 reflects a now-uncomfortable classical assumption that imprudent or absurd behaviour was a female failing; the radical assignment is grammatical rather than glorifying. Indexes the entry in the women-and-relations family.
phonetic
亡 wáng
to perish; lost
Top 亡 - a person hiding behind a corner, meaning 'lost' or 'perished.' Supplies the sound wáng → wàng with a regular tone shift. The flavour of loss leaks faintly into the meaning: reckless, presumptuous behaviour is conduct that has lost all measure. Same phonetic in 忘 to forget, 忙 busy.

Stroke Order

妄 wàng