How to Write 孟 (mèng) — Meaning “first month of a season; eldest; Mencius (surname)”

Imagine a baby (子) sitting in a bowl (皿) because that baby is the first child of the family. The picture of a child in a bowl helps you recall that 孟 means 'first' or 'eldest'.

Write the top 子 first, then the bottom 皿. Make sure the vertical hook of 子 is straight and the bottom 皿 is slightly wider than the top. A common mistake is making 子 too large, which makes the character unbalanced.

孟 has 子 on top and 皿 (vessel) below, while 字 has 宀 (roof) on top and 子 below. 存 has 子 on the left side with a vertical stroke on the right, and means 'exist'. So look at the bottom part: if there is a vessel, it is 孟.

孟 is commonly used as a surname, like 孟子 (Mencius), and in literary terms for the first month of a season, for example 孟春 (first month of spring). It appears in names and classical references but is not part of everyday vocabulary.

Common words containing 孟 include: 孟子 (mèng zi) — Mencius; 姓孟 (xìng mèng) — Surname Meng; 孟春 (mèng chūn) — the first month of spring (lunar calendar).