蒙 (Měng): Mongol; Mongolian (ethnic group)

Meanings

1 Mongol; Mongolian (ethnic group)
2 abbreviation for Mongolia (蒙古国)

Characters

蒙

Měng

Mongol; Mongolian (ethnic group)

Examples

内蒙古是中国北部的自治区。

Nèiměnggǔ shì Zhōngguó běibù de zìzhìqū.

Inner Mongolia is the autonomous region in the north of China.

蒙古奶茶用牛奶、茶叶和盐。

Měnggǔ nǎichá yòng niúnǎi, cháyè hé yán.

Mongolian milk tea uses milk, tea leaves, and salt.

Tips

culture

The third-tone 蒙 (often capitalised in pinyin since it's a proper-noun reading) is locked to the Mongol world: 蒙古 (Mongolia / Mongol), 内蒙古 (Inner Mongolia, autonomous region of the PRC), 外蒙古 (Outer Mongolia, the modern state), 蒙古族 (the Mongol ethnic group), 蒙古人, 蒙古包 (yurt, the iconic round felt tent). One handy commercial example: dairy giant 蒙牛 takes its name from the Inner Mongolian grasslands its milk comes from. Taiwan often reads even these as méng — mainland pinyin standardises on Měng.

Components

radical

艹 cǎo

grass; plant (top radical)

Top indexing grass radical 艹 — the compressed three-stroke form of 艸. Carries the meaning core of 蒙: the original sense was 'a creeping vine covering everything,' from which 'to cover' generalised. Anchors 蒙 in the plant family alongside 草, 花, 茶, 莫 — and supplies the picture of a leafy spread overlaying a hidden creature below.

semantic

冖 mì

cover

Middle cover 冖 (Kangxi #14) — a horizontal canopy. Reinforces the radical: not just plants spreading on top, but a deliberate covering action. Carries the metaphorical extension to 'deceive / cover the truth' (蒙骗) — putting a veil over what should be clear.

semantic

豕 shǐ

pig

Bottom 豕 (Kangxi #152) — pig under cover under foliage. The original picture was a wild boar hidden in undergrowth; classical Chinese lore held that boars curled up under brush were impossible to see, hence both 'covered up' and 'unable to discern' (蒙昧 ignorant, 启蒙 enlightenment = lifting the cover). Same animal in 家, 豪.