mān
adjective

Meanings

  1. 1 used in 颟顸: muddle-headed; careless and unclear
  2. 2 (of a face) broad and flat

Examples

Nàge guānyuán mānhān, bànshì kàobuzhù.
That official is muddle-headed and unreliable for getting anything done.
Bié zhème mānhān, shùzì zài hé yí biàn.
Don't be so careless; check the figures one more time.

Tips

usage
is bound — it appears almost only in 颟顸, meaning muddled and slapdash, careless about getting things right. It carries a clear note of disapproval, common in older fiction.

Components

radical
head; face
Right is the head radical , which in compounds points to the head or face. Here it locates the muddle-headedness in the mind — and underlies the secondary 'broad flat face' sense.
phonetic
mán
phonetic element
Left is a -type element, used here for sound — the same phonetic body seen in (full) and (to hide). It gives the mān reading; with the head radical it suggests a clouded, unclear mind.

Stroke Order

mān