HanziGuru.瞒 · mán
瞒
mán[man2]Tone 2

to conceal from

HSK 7
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瞞
Guru Deep Dive

English · to conceal from

Cached lesson
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Topology:Left-right
Strokes:15
Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (Eye) takes up about one-third of the width, while the right phonetic component (Full) takes up the remaining two-thirds. Keep the horizontal lines evenly spaced.
Simplification Logic: The traditional form 瞞 uses 𡔡 over 皿 as the right side, which was simplified to 满 (man) in the modern character.
1. Meaning

to conceal from, to keep someone in the dark

to hide the truthto deceive
VerbNeutral#communication#behavior#psychology
Sample Usage
  • 你别想瞒我。
    Nǐ bié xiǎng mán wǒ.
    Don't think you can keep secrets from me.
  • 瞒报病情是违法的。
    Mán bào bìngqíng shì wéifǎ de.
    Concealing illness reports is illegal.
2. Sound
/[man³⁵]/Tone: 35
瞒
mánman2
++
´(35)
=mán
Build the syllable
Step-by-step blending
man
Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "a" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).
Initial Consonant
m
Type: Bilabial Nasal
Sounds like: m sound as in 'man'
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Nasal resonance through nostrils.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Lips pressed together gently and released as airflow passes through the nose.
Final Rhyme
an
Vowel Group: -a vowel group
Sounds like: -an rhymes with 'run' without the r, or like 'an' in 'man'
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'ahn'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T2 (35)
2nd Tone (Mid-Rising)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 2 starts in the middle register and rises sharply to the top, matching an English upward inflection of surprise ('What?').
Sandhi: When followed by another Tone 2, it shifts to a high rising or semi-third tone depending on sentence speed.
👂
Listening trap: Confusing it with Tone 4 (màn) or mistaking the nasal ending -n for the velar nasal -ng (máng).
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: A quick upward nod or an upward sweep of the hand, exactly like asking 'Man?' in disbelief.
3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 15 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (Eye) takes up about one-third of the width, while the right phonetic component (Full) takes up the remaining two-thirds. Keep the horizontal lines evenly spaced.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 瞞 uses 𡔡 over 皿 as the right side, which was simplified to 满 (man) in the modern character.

4. Components

Radical 目 · Eye radical (eye, vision)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 目 (Indicates that concealing involves vision, keeping things out of someone's sight or field of view.)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 㴟 (original sound: mán)

An EYE (目) covering or filling up (满) someone's field of vision so they cannot see the truth.

  • 目 Eye (semantic clue for seeing/hiding from sight)
  • 满 Full / to fill (phonetic and conceptual clue for filling the eyes so nothing else is visible)
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Combined from the eye radical (目) for vision and a phonetic element giving the pronunciation 'mán', evolving to mean hiding something from someone's eyes.

Semantic Evolution: Originally related to squinting or keeping eyes closed, it broadened to mean keeping information concealed from others.

  • The addition of the eye radical emphasizes the visual nature of withholding the truth from someone's view.
6. Sinosphere
🇻🇳
Sino-Vietnamese
man
Similar sound profile in Sino-Vietnamese vocabulary.
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: マン (man) / Kun: あざむく (azamuku)
Sound Shift Bridge: The ending -an corresponds closely across languages ending in nasal dental consonants.
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story

To CONCEAL something from someone (mán), you pull the wool over their EYE (目) until their view is completely FULL (满) of fake stories.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
㒼
Phonetic Core (声旁)
满
mǎnFull+ 氵 (water)
滿
+ 氵 (water)
瞞
+ 目 (eye)
Explore this family →
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
满(mǎn)
满 has the water radical (氵) on the left, meaning 'full', whereas 瞒 has the eye radical (目) on the left, meaning 'to conceal'.
慢(màn)
慢 has the heart radical (忄) on the left and means 'slow', whereas 瞒 has the eye radical (目).
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
有什么事不要一直[___]着大家。
Clue: mán
Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing 瞒 (mán) with 满 (mǎn) because they share the same phonetic right-hand side, leading to writing the water radical instead of the eye radical.

Memory Prompts
Recognition: When you see 瞒 with the eye radical (目), what action does it signify regarding information?
Production: How do you write the verb meaning 'to conceal from' using the eye radical and the sound component for 'full'?
Real-World Video Context

Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.

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