Definition
茫 is a bound form (b.f.) that never stands alone in modern Chinese. It appears as a morpheme in compounds with two main semantic clusters: (1) vastness or boundlessness (茫茫 'boundless expanse', 渺茫 'remote and uncertain'), and (2) confusion or perplexity (茫然 'blankly, at a loss', 迷茫 'confused, lost'). You'll encounter it in literary and formal contexts.
b.f.
(bound form) vastboundless(bound form) confusedperplexed
Examples
- ，。Tā tīng le zhège xiāoxi, yì liǎn máng rán.He looked completely confused after hearing the news.
- ，。Wèilái de dàolù hěn mí máng, wǒ bù zhīdào gāi zěnme zǒu.The future path is very confusing; I don't know how to go.
- ，。Xīwàng hěn miǎo máng, dàn tā méiyǒu fàngqì.The hope is very slim, but he didn't give up.
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