chief, beginning
孟 centers on the idea of being first or foremost: a chief, leader, or the beginning of something. The two given meanings are closely linked, with 'chief' as the person who is first and 'beginning' as the initial stage.
孟 combines 子 (child) and 皿 (dish), but the historical origin is not simply a child with a dish. It is thought to originally depict a child being washed in a vessel, symbolizing the first or eldest, though the exact development is uncertain.
Imagine the first-born child (子) being placed in a ceremonial dish (皿) to mark the beginning of a lineage. The child is the chief, the first in line.
For モウ, picture a chief mowing down obstacles at the very beginning of a project: mow -> モウ, and the chief leads the way.
Mencius (372-289 BCE); Mengzi
Confucius and Mencius
the teachings of Confucius and Mencius
beginning of winter
beginning of summer
eldest daughter
moso bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens)
root of a moso bamboo
moso bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens); tall bamboo cultivated for its edible shoots
beginning of spring
the importance of creating an environment conducive to a child's learning; Mencius' mother, three moves
the importance of creating an environment conducive to a child's learning
(the lesson that) one should not leave things unfinished
careless; incoherent; sloppy; negligent
beginning of autumn
the Confucian Analects and the Discourses of Mencius