Save Gender Masculine Usage History Pronounced Pron. /ˈmɛn.ʃi.əs/(English) [key·simplify] Meaning & History Anglicized form of the Chinese name 孟子 (Mengzi), from the surname Meng combined with the title 子 (zǐ) meaning "master". This was the name of a 4th-century BC Chinese Confucian philosopher. His given name was Ke.