蛮 (mán) - Barbarian — historically refers to non-Chinese peoples of & uncivilized, wild, fierce

蛮Tone 2

mán ｜ 12 strokes ｜ radical:

伦妙

蛮 · mán

Barbarian — historically refers to non-Chinese peoples of the south;

uncivilized, wild, fierce;

also used to mean 'very' or 'quite' in colloquial speech.

Barbarian — historically refers to non-Chinese peoples ofuncivilized, wild, fiercealso used to mean 'very' or 'quite' in

Usage highlights

Barbarian tribesSouthern barbariansBarbaric behaviorBarbaric and unreasonableQuite goodBarbarian land

Synonyms

  • 野— wild, uncivilized
  • 粗— coarse, rough

Antonyms

  • 文— civilized, cultured
  • 雅— elegant, refined

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The ancient tribes were considered barbarians (蛮族).
  • This dish is quite spicy (蛮辣的).
  • He's very stubborn (蛮不讲理).
  • The southern barbarians were recorded in historical texts (南蛮).

Collocations

  • Barbarian tribes(蛮族)
  • Southern barbarians(南蛮)
  • Barbaric behavior(蛮横)
  • Barbaric and unreasonable(蛮不讲理)
  • Quite good(蛮好)
  • Barbarian land(蛮荒)

Idioms

  • Barbaric and unreasonable(蛮不讲理)
  • Barbaric and tyrannical(蛮横无理)
  • Barbarian land and wild region(蛮荒之地)
  • Barbarian chieftain and tribal leader(蛮夷酋长)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Historically used by Chinese dynasties to refer to non-Chinese peoples, particularly those in southern regions.
  • In modern colloquial usage, it has softened to mean 'quite' or 'very' in certain dialects.
  • The character originally depicted silkworms, later borrowed for its sound to mean 'barbarian'.

FAQ