亡

Stroke order

亡 (Kangxi radical 8, 亠+1, 3 strokes, cangjie input 卜女 (YV), four-corner 0071₀, composition ⿱亠𠃊(GV) or ⿱亠㇄(HTJK) or ⿱丶匸 or ⿱丨匸)

• 吂, 杗, 杧, 芒, 忙, 衁, 邙, 𢇜, 𡦽, 𥤩, 牤, 虻, 䖟, 蝱, 䰶, 𨑑, 𥝕, 笀, 𰫘, 𪢷, 甿, 𤰡, 𡵀, 𥐞, 㠵, 𢁣, 𠺯, 釯, 𰶲, 汒, 巟, 妄

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 88, character 3
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 287
• Dae Jaweon: page 184, character 13
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 279, character 5
• Unihan data for U+4EA1

Historical forms of the character 亡
Shang	Western Zhou	Warring States	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Chu slip and silk script	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts
Oracle bone script j27316 j27317 j27318 j27319 j27320 j27321 j27322 j27323 j27324 j27325 j27326 j27327 j27328 j27329 j27330 j27331 j27332 j27333 j27334 j27335 j27336 j27337 j27338 j27339 j27340 j27341 j27342 j27343 j27344 j27345 j27346 j27347 j27348 j27349 j27350 j27351 j27352 j27353 j27354 j27355 j27356 j27357 j27358 j27359 j27360 j27361 j27362 j27363 j27364 j27365 j27366 j27367 j27368 j27369 j27370 j27371 j27372 j27373 j27374 j27375 j27376 j27377 j27378 j27379 j27380 j27381 j27382 j27383 j27384 j27385 j27386 j27387 j27388 j27389 j27390 j27391 j27392 j27393 j27394 j27395 j27396 j27397 j27398 j27399 j27400 j27401 j27402 j27403 j27404 j27405 j27406 j27407 j27408 j27409 j27410 j27411 j27412 j27413 j27414 j27415 j27416 j27417 j27418 j27419 j27420 j27421 j27422 j27423 j27424 j27425 j27426 j27427 j27428 j27429 j27430 j27431 j27432 j27433 j27434 j27435 j27436 j27437 j27438 j27439 j27440 j27441 j27442 j27443 j27444 j27445 j27446 j27447 j27448 j27449 j27450 j27451 j27452 j27453 j27454 j27455 j27456 j27457 j27458 j27459 j27460 j27461 j27462 j27463 j27464 j27465 j27466 j27467 j27468 j27469 j27470 Bronze inscriptions b17680 b17681 b17682 b17683 b17684 b17685 b17686 b17687 b17688 b17689 b17690 b17691 b17692 b17693 b17694 b17695 b17696 b17697 b17698 b17699 b17700 b17701 b17702 b17703 b17704 b17705 b17706 b17707 b17708 b17709 b17710 b17711 b17712 b17713 Small seal script s09433 Transcribed ancient scripts L32570 L32571 L09148 L09149
References: Mostly from Richard Sears' Chinese Etymology site (authorisation), which in turn draws data from various collections of ancient forms of Chinese characters, including: Shuowen Jiezi (small seal), Jinwen Bian (bronze inscriptions), Liushutong (Liushutong characters) and Yinxu Jiaguwen Bian (oracle bone script).

Ideogram (指事) : a line on 刀 – cutting edge of a knife; the original form of 芒 (OC *maːŋ, *maŋ, “edge of a knife”).

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *ma (“not”) + Proto-Sino-Tibetan terminative suffix *-ŋ. Cognate with 忘 (OC *maŋ, *maŋs, “to forget”), 罔 (OC *mlaŋʔ, “to not have”), 荒 (OC *hmaːŋ, *hmaːŋs, “to waste (land, time)”) and 喪 (OC *smaːŋs, *smaːŋ, “to lose”).

The meaning of Pronunciation 2 is attested by the Oracle bone script. It is traditionally considered to be a variant of 無 (OC *ma), and its reading is thus semantically applied. However, evidence shows that its meaning was more similar to "無之" ("to not have it, to have none"), and Shijing rhymes suggests that it originally was read like Pronunciation 1, which suggests that it was ultimately also from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *ma (“not”) + Proto-Sino-Tibetan terminative suffix *-ŋ (Pulleyblank, 1995).

亡

1. to run away; to flee; to escape

   逃亡  ―  táowáng  ―  to flee

   • 晉公子生十七年而亡。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     晋公子生十七年而亡。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Guoyu, circa 4^th century BCE

     Jìn gōngzǐ shēng shíqī nián ér wáng.

     The scion of the royal house of Jin fled when he was seventeen.

2. to lose

   亡佚  ―  wángyì  ―  to be lost

   亡羊補牢／亡羊补牢  ―  wángyángbǔláo  ―  to repair the pen after sheep is lost

3. (intransitive) to be destroyed; to become extinct; to die out

   • 國家將亡，必有妖孽。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     国家将亡，必有妖孽。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Book of Rites, c. 4^th – 2^nd century BCE

     Guójiā jiāng wáng, bì yǒu yāoniè.

     when it is about to perish, there are sure to be unlucky omens.

   滅亡／灭亡  ―  mièwáng  ―  to perish

4. (transitive) to destroy; to annihilate; to exterminate

   • 帝國主義亡我之心不死 [MSC, trad.]
     帝国主义亡我之心不死 [MSC, simp.]

     dìguózhǔyì wáng wǒ zhī xīn bù sǐ

     the imperialists have not given up on the desire to subjugate our country

5. to die

   死亡  ―  sǐwáng  ―  to die

   亡妻  ―  wángqī  ―  deceased wife

6. ^† Alternative form of 忘 (wàng, “to forget”)

• (to run away):

• (to lose):

• (to be destroyed):

• (to destroy):

• (to die):

亡

1. ^† Alternative form of 無／无 (“not have”)

   • 何有何亡，黽勉求之。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
     何有何亡，黾勉求之。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11^th – 7^th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Hé yǒu hé wú, mǐn miǎn qiú zhī.

     Whether we had plenty or not, I exerted myself to be getting.

   • 夷狄之有君，不如諸夏之亡也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     夷狄之有君，不如诸夏之亡也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Yídí zhī yǒu jūn, bùrú zhūxià zhī wú yě.

     The rude tribes of the east and north have their princes, and are not like the States of our great land which are without them.

   • 司馬牛憂曰：「人皆有兄弟，我獨亡。」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     司马牛忧曰：「人皆有兄弟，我独亡。」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Sīmǎ Niú yōu yuē: “Rén jiē yǒu xiōngdì, wǒ dú wú.”

     Sima Niu, full of anxiety, said, "Other men all have their brothers, I only have not."

2. ^† Alternative form of 毋 (wú, “don't”)