Meng Kang

Meng Kang (Chinese: 孟康; fl. 3rd century CE) was a scholar and official who lived during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history, serving the state of Wei. He is primarily known for his commentary on the ancient text, the Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字), a foundational dictionary of Chinese characters compiled by Xu Shen during the Han dynasty. While Meng Kang's original commentary is largely lost, fragments and quotations survive through later works, notably Li Xian's commentary on the Hou Han Shu (History of the Later Han Dynasty) and Pei Yin's Jijie commentary on the Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji). These fragments are valuable for understanding the evolving interpretations of the Shuowen Jiezi and for gaining insights into the textual criticism and philological practices of the Three Kingdoms era. He also held government positions, but details regarding his official career are relatively scarce compared to his scholarly contributions.