氓 (méng) - common people, populace & sometimes refers to vagrants or outcasts in certain
氓 · méng
common people, populace;
sometimes refers to vagrants or outcasts in certain contexts
common people, populacesometimes refers to vagrants or outcasts in certain
Usage highlights
common peoplevagrant, hooliganlaborer massespeasant folkwandering peoplepopulace
Usage & contexts
Examples
- The common people (群氓) were affected by the policy.
- He was considered a vagrant (流氓) in the city.
- Ancient texts refer to the masses (氓隶) as laborers.
Collocations
- common people(群氓)
- vagrant, hooligan(流氓)
- laborer masses(氓隶)
- peasant folk(氓庶)
- wandering people(流氓)
- populace(氓黎)
Idioms
- The common people are easily misled(氓之蚩蚩)
- Vagrants and hooligans cause trouble(流氓滋事)
Cultural background
FAQ- Originally referred to migrants or common people in ancient China, with a neutral connotation.
- In modern usage, often appears in '流氓' (liúmáng) meaning hooligan or rogue, giving the character a negative association.