A short word can name a person, a male adult, or an inherited image of humankind. Across languages, similar sounds may invite comparison; evidence decides how far that comparison may travel.
Core Sense · 核心词义adult male human; historically also person / human · 成年男性；历史上也可指人
English definition
In the primary modern sense, man means an adult male human. Older and continuing uses may refer more broadly to a person or humankind, but those uses require contextual care.
中文定义
man 的现代核心义是成年男性。较早及部分延续用法也可泛指“人”或“人类”，但必须结合语境处理。
03
Multilingual Mapping · 多语言映射
Language · 语言
Form · 形式
Pronunciation · 发音
Sense / Role · 词义／作用
Evidence Status · 证据状态
English · 英语
man
/mæn/
adult male; historically also person / human · 成年男性；历史上亦可泛指人
Established · 已确立
中文
男
nán
male; man; son in some contexts · 男性、男人；部分语境中指儿子
Established semantics · 语义已确立
中文
氓
méng; máng in 流氓
méng: common people / an outsider who becomes a subject; máng: chiefly in 流氓 · méng：百姓、外来之民；máng：主要见于“流氓”
Supporting case · 辅助案例
Français · 法语
homme
/ɔm/
man; human being in context · 男人；语境中亦可指人
Semantic reference · 语义参照
Relation boundary · 关系边界：man ↔ 男 is a strong semantic mapping and an experimental phonetic comparison. man ↔ 氓 is secondary: the reading closest in sound, máng, does not carry the same historical “common people” sense as méng. None of these comparisons establishes cognacy. · man ↔ 男 是强语义映射与实验性语音比较；man ↔ 氓 是辅助案例：声音最接近的 máng 并不等同于表示“百姓”的 méng 读音。以上比较都不能确立同源。
04
Etymology / Historical Evidence · 词源／历史证据
English historical record
English man continues Middle English and Old English man / mann / mon, with cognates across Germanic languages. This is an independently documented English/Germanic history.
Historical Relation · 历史关系：Unknown / Unproven · 未知／未证。 No documented transmission path or regular historical sound correspondence currently connects English man with Chinese 男 or 氓. The page does not claim common origin. · 目前没有有文献的传播路径或规则性历史音变把英语 man 与汉语“男／氓”连接起来；本页不主张共同来源。
05
Multidimensional Mapping · 多维映射
Mapping Score v0.2 · Experimental Result · 实验结果A — Strong Mapping · 94 / 100Provisional, illustrative and not statistically calibrated. The result measures mapping strength within the current framework, not historical certainty. · 暂定、示范性、尚未完成统计校准。这一结果衡量当前框架中的映射强度，不衡量历史同源确定性。
01 · Discovery · 发现
Core case: man /mæn/ ↔ 男 nán
Semantic relation · 语义关系MAN / MALE ↔ 男
The primary senses align closely. Broader historical “person” uses of man should not be projected automatically onto 男. · 核心词义高度对应，但不能把 man 的历史泛指义自动投射到“男”。
Phonetic candidate · 语音候选m-æ-n ↔ n-a-n
Both are compact nasal-bounded syllables with a low/open vowel region. The initial m ↔ n comparison is an experimental Collanguage correspondence, not an established sound law. · 两者都是鼻音边界明显、元音较开放的短音节；词首 m↔n 只是 Collanguage 实验性对应，不是已确立音变规律。
Structural / cognitive relation · 结构／认知关系HUMAN CATEGORY → MALE MEMBER
Both forms can organize a male-human category, while their historical semantic ranges are not identical. · 两者都可组织“人类中的男性”这一范畴，但历史语义范围并不完全相同。
Contextual validity · 语境有效性High in ordinary bilingual glossing
In common noun contexts, man → 男人／男子 is direct; 男 alone may function as noun, adjective-like modifier or category label depending on syntax. · 在普通名词语境中 man→男人／男子很直接；单字“男”可依句法充当名词、修饰语或类别标签。
02 · Supporting Case · 辅助案例
man ↔ 氓 méng / máng
Sound structure · 声音结构/mæn/ ↔ /məŋ/ or /mɑŋ/
Initial m is shared, the vowels occupy a broadly comparable open/central region, and the codas are nasal: n ↔ ŋ. · 词首同为 m，元音大致处于可比较的开放／中央区域，词尾同为鼻音：n↔ŋ。
Semantic layering · 语义分层person / people ↔ common people
The semantic support belongs chiefly to méng “common people,” while the closer modern sound máng belongs chiefly to 流氓. Sound and sense therefore do not converge in one unqualified reading. · 语义支持主要来自 méng“百姓”，更近音的现代读法 máng 主要见于“流氓”；音与义不能在一个不加限定的读音中合并。
Supporting Case only · 仅作辅助案例： useful for testing nasal structure and reading-sensitive semantics; insufficient for a historical or universal rule. · 可用于检验鼻音结构与读音敏感的语义分层，不足以证明历史关系或普遍规律。
03 · Cultural / Philosophical Association · 文化／哲学关联
Primordial being and cosmic person · 原人与宇宙人
Pangu, Brahmā, Puruṣa, “the Dao gives birth to one,” and “Brahman and self” may be compared as cultural or philosophical material about creation, personhood and cosmos. Their traditions must remain distinct, and none contributes points to the man ↔ 男 Mapping Score. · 盘古、梵天、原人、“道生一”与“梵我同一”等，可作为关于创造、人形与宇宙的文化／哲学材料进行比较；各传统必须保持区分，且均不计入 man ↔ 男 的映射分数。
Non-etymological evidence · 非词源证据
05A
Mapping Score v0.2 · 映射评分 v0.2
Provisional demonstration for man ↔ 男 · man ↔ 男 暂定示范评分
Dimension · 维度
Weight · 权重
Experimental score · 实验分
Reason · 理由
Phonetic Relation · 语音关系
30
28
Compact syllable resemblance and shared final nasal; initial m↔n remains experimental. · 短音节整体相似、同具词尾鼻音；词首 m↔n 仍属实验性。
Semantic Relation · 语义关系
30
30
Direct male-human correspondence in the core case. · 核心案例中男性人的词义直接对应。
Structural / Cognitive Relation · 结构／认知关系
20
18
Closely aligned category structure, with non-identical historical ranges. · 范畴结构高度接近，但历史语义范围不完全相同。
Contextual Validity · 语境有效性
20
18
Strong in ordinary translation, with grammatical and register constraints. · 普通翻译中有效，但有句法与语域限制。
Total · 总分
100
94
A — Strong Mapping · 强映射
Provisional score · 暂定分数： 94/100 is an illustrative v0.2 result, not a measurement with validated error bounds. It must be recalibrated against additional cases, independent raters and counterexamples. · 94/100 是 v0.2 的示范性实验结果，并非具有已验证误差范围的测量；后续须通过更多案例、独立评分者与反例重新校准。
05B
Evidence Profile · 证据档案
Semantic · 语义
Established / Strong · 已确立／强
man and 男 overlap directly in the adult-male domain. · 二者在成年男性义域直接重合。
Phonetic · 语音
Experimental · 实验性
Overall syllable resemblance is observable; m↔n is not yet a demonstrated correspondence rule. · 整体音节相似可观察，m↔n 尚未成为经证实的对应规则。
Historical · 历史
Unknown / Unproven · 未知／未证
No cognacy, borrowing route or regular historical sound change has been established. · 未确立同源、借用路径或规则性历史音变。
Cultural / philosophical · 文化／哲学
Association only · 仅作关联
Creation and cosmic-person traditions are non-etymological comparison material and are excluded from the score. · 创世与宇宙人传统属于非词源比较材料，不计入评分。
Mapping Score and Evidence Profile are separate outputs. Mapping Score 与 Evidence Profile 是两个分开的输出。
Why not historical certainty? · 为什么不是历史确定性？Different question, different evidence
A historical claim would require dated forms, regular sound correspondences and a credible inheritance or contact path. Those are absent. · 历史主张需要可断代形式、规则音变及可信的继承或接触路径；这些证据目前缺失。
Counterexamples · 反例Many m/n forms are unrelated
Numerous similar syllables lack male/person meanings, and many male/person words lack this sound pattern. A few selected cases cannot establish a universal law. · 大量近似音节不含男性／人义，大量男性／人义词也不具此音形；少量精选案例不能建立普遍规律。
Next test · 下一步检验Pre-registered multilingual comparison
Compare m- and n-initial person/male vocabulary against matched controls, genealogical families, borrowing, phonotactic frequency and independent semantic coding. · 预注册多语言词表，并控制谱系、借用、音系频率及独立语义编码。
Man / male / human translation case · planned · man／male／human 翻译案例待建
08
Translation Protocol · 翻译协议
English → Chinese
man → 男人／男子 when adult male is intended; → 人／人类 only when context clearly supports the broader human sense. The Collanguage mapping man ↔ 男 explains structure; it does not override context.
中文 → English
“男”通常按句法译为 male、man、boy 或 son；“氓”应按具体读音与语境译为 common people、subject、ruffian 等，不能因为近音而统一译为 man。
09
Examples · 例句
Core mapping
That man is a teacher. → 那个男人／那名男子是老师。 Here the male-human sense is direct.
Contribute historical forms, dialect readings, counterexamples, controlled datasets and independent ratings. Evidence that weakens the mapping is as important as supporting evidence.