Meing

Meing is a term used primarily in worldbuilding and speculative fiction to denote either a political entity or a cultural practice within a fictional setting. There is no single canonical definition of Meing across works; instead, authors use the term to describe different but related concepts.

In many portrayals, Meing refers to a city-state or regional polity characterized by intricate networks of canals, councils, and public archives. Governance in Meing-centered stories is often depicted as a hybrid of deliberative decision-making and merit-based councils, with elder representatives guiding long-term memory of territorial boundaries and laws. The social contract in Meing narratives tends to emphasize communal memory, mutual aid, and ritual remembrance of key events.

Separately, some authors define Meing as a social practice—a organized tradition of oral historiography in which communities retell, record, and verify historical events to preserve identity and prevent factionalism. This Meing Cycle is typically associated with annual gatherings, public ceremonies, and archival repositories.

Origin and usage vary by author; the term generally signals themes of memory, governance, and shared identity rather than a fixed real-world concept. In fan communities and role-playing games, Meing often functions as a flexible setting element that can be adapted to different genres.