蠻 (mán) - Barbarian — archaic term for non-Chinese southern tribes & uncivilized, wild, fierce

蠻Tone 2

mán ｜ 25 strokes ｜ radical:

伦妙

蠻 · mán

Barbarian — archaic term for non-Chinese southern tribes;

uncivilized, wild, fierce;

rough, coarse;

very, quite (colloquial intensifier).

Barbarian — archaic term for non-Chinese southern tribesuncivilized, wild, fiercerough, coarse

Usage highlights

Southern barbariansBarbaric and unreasonableBarbaric landBarbarian chieftainBarbarian customsBarbarian tribe

Synonyms

  • 野— wild, uncivilized
  • 粗— coarse, rough
  • 悍— fierce, ferocious

Antonyms

  • 文— civilized, cultured
  • 雅— elegant, refined
  • 礼— courteous, ritual-proper

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The ancient southern tribes were called barbarians (南蛮).
  • He has a rough temper (蛮横的脾气).
  • This dish is quite delicious (蛮好吃的).
  • The terrain was wild and rugged (蛮荒之地).

Collocations

  • Southern barbarians(南蛮)
  • Barbaric and unreasonable(蛮横)
  • Barbaric land(蛮荒)
  • Barbarian chieftain(蛮酋)
  • Barbarian customs(蛮俗)
  • Barbarian tribe(蛮族)

Idioms

  • Barbarians of the south and Di of the north(南蛮北狄)
  • Barbarian lands and savage regions(蛮烟瘴雨)
  • Barbarian chieftain and tribal leader(蛮酋洞主)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Historically used by Chinese dynasties to refer to non-Han peoples in southern China, carrying ethnocentric connotations.
  • In modern usage, the character appears in historical contexts and as a colloquial intensifier meaning 'quite' or 'very'.
  • The term reflects ancient Chinese worldview that positioned the Central Plains civilization as superior to surrounding peoples.

FAQ