Example sentences
tā他máng忙dé得méi没kòng空chī吃fàn饭。
He's too busy to eat.
zuì最jìn近máng忙bù不máng忙？
Busy lately?
The story behind the character
忙
忙 does not appear in Xu Shen's dictionary; it is a later coinage. It is 忄, the heart, plus 亡 for the sound. The oldest gloss we have, from the Song rhyme book 集韵, is 忙, 心迫也: a heart pressed and urgent. The 亡 in it means to lose, to be gone, which fits the feeling. 帮忙 shows the other side, a heart going out to help.