猛
měng · HSK 6
suddenly
🐅 犭beast + 孟 first-born: the alpha predator strikes suddenly
The animal radical 犭pairs with 孟 (eldest/first). The first beast in the pack is the fiercest — it leaps abruptly, without warning. Měng sounds like mung, the bean that pops open the instant it hits boiling water.
猛 — dog radical 犭 + 孟 (mèng, phonetic)
猛 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The dog radical 犭 indicates a fierce animal, while 孟 (mèng) supplies the sound. Originally describing a ferocious hunting dog, its meaning broadened to 'fierce, violent, vigorous' for anything intense.