漫天 (màn tiān) — filling the whole sky, all over the sky; boundl… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Used for something that fills the whole sky (snow, sand, stars), and figuratively for boundlessness or excess, as in 漫天要价 ('to charge an exorbitant price').

verb

filling the whole skyall over the skyboundlesslimitlessexcessive (as in 漫天要价)

Examples

漫天，。
Chuāng wài màn tiān dà xuě, lù dōu kàn bú jiàn le.
Outside the window the sky is full of heavy snow — you can't even see the road.
，。
Tā mài dōng xī xǐ huan màn tiān yào jià, nǐ dé shǐ jìn kǎn jià.
When he sells things, he tends to ask exorbitant prices — you really have to bargain hard.
漫天。
Shā mò lǐ màn tiān de huáng shā ràng rén zhēng bù kāi yǎn.
In the desert, the sky-filling yellow sand makes it impossible to keep your eyes open.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

漫mànall over

漫 'all over' and 天 'sky' paint something filling the whole sky.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

氵曼漫

Meaning part形符xíngfú

氵Written in full as水shuǐ

Sound part声符shēngfú

曼

Same sound today

漫 uses 氵 (water) and 曼 for the sound; 曼 also means “vast, extended,” showing water spread out or overflowing.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

丁

丁dīng天tiān

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape comes from a frontal standing man 大 with a head; 天 pairs 大 with 丁 for sound.

Appears in

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