虫

See also: 蟲

虫 U+866B, 虫 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-866B ← 虪 [U+866A] CJK Unified Ideographs 虬 → [U+866C]

Contents

Translingual

Stroke order

Han character

虫 (radical 142, 虫+0, 6 strokes, cangjie input 中一戈 (LMI), four-corner 5013₆, composition ⿱中⿰㇀丶)

1. Kangxi radical #142, ⾍.

Derived characters

• Index:Chinese radical/虫
• 強, 虹, 蚌, 蚯, 蛐, 蛻, 蜀, 蜂, 蜇, 蜥, 蝗, 蝠, 蝴, 蟄, 蟬, 蟲, 蟹, 蠍, 蠟, 蠣, 蠶

References

• KangXi: page 1076, character 19
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 32804
• Dae Jaweon: page 1545, character 7
• Hanyu Da Zidian: volume 4, page 2833, character 1
• Unihan data for U+866B

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Chinese

Glyph origin

A venomous snake, from which this character originated.

Historical forms of the character 虫
Shang	Western Zhou	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Small seal script

Characters in the same phonetic series (兀) (Zhengzhang, 2003)
	Old Chinese
虺	*hŋuːl, *hŋruːl, *hŋlulʔ
豗	*hŋuːl
鼿	*hŋuːl, *ŋuːd
虫	*hŋlulʔ
髡	*ŋ̊ʰuːn
軏	*ŋod, *ŋuːd
扤	*ŋod, *ŋuːd
兀	*ŋuːd
杌	*ŋuːd
屼	*ŋuːd
矹	*ŋluːd

Pictogram (象形): a snake.

The character originally represented a type of venomous snake, while the derivative 蟲 represented worms and insects (or insect-like things). 虫 was later borrowed for 蟲 (possibly via simplification), and the character 虺 was created to represent the original meaning.

Etymology 1

For pronunciation and definitions of 虫 – see 蟲 (“insect; bug; animal; etc.”). (This character, 虫, is the simplified and variant form of 蟲.)

Notes: Simplified Chinese is mainly used in Mainland China and Singapore. Traditional Chinese is mainly used in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

Etymology 2

For pronunciation and definitions of 虫 – see 虺 (“venomous snake; sick; ambitionless”). (This character, 虫, is an ancient form of 虺.)

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Japanese

Shinjitai	虫
Kyūjitai	蟲

Kanji

虫

(grade 1 “Kyōiku” kanji, shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai form 蟲)

1. insect, bug
2. generic name for animals

Readings

As shinjitai form of 蟲:

• Go-on: じゅう (jū)^{←ぢゆう (dyū, historical)}
• Kan-on: ちゅう (chū, Jōyō)^{←ちゆう (tyū, historical)}
• Kun: むし (mushi, 虫, Jōyō)

As the ancient form of 虺:

• Go-on: け (ke)^{←け (ke, historical)←くゑ (kwe, ancient)}
• Kan-on: き (ki)^{←き (ki, historical)←くゐ (kwi, ancient)}
• Kun: まむし (mamushi, 虫)

Compounds

Compounds

• 虫媒 (ちゅうばい) (chūbai)
• 益虫 (えきちゅう) (ekichū, “beneficial insect”)
• 回虫 (かいちゅう), 蛔虫 (かいちゅう) (kaichū)
• 害虫 (がいちゅう) (gaichū, “harmful insect”)
• 寄 (き)生 (せい)虫 (ちゅう) (kiseichū, “parasite”)
• 駆 (く)虫 (ちゅう) (kuchū)
• 甲 (こう)虫 (ちゅう) (kōchū, “beetle”)
• 昆 (こん)虫 (ちゅう) (konchū, “insect”)
• 成 (せい)虫 (ちゅう) (seichū)
• 精 (せい)虫 (ちゅう) (seichū)
• 蠕 (ぜん)虫 (ちゅう) (zenchū, “worm”)
• 爬 (は)虫 (ちゅう) (hachū), 爬 (は)虫 (ちゅう)類 (るい) (hachūrui)
• 防 (ぼう)虫 (ちゅう) (bōchū)
• 幼 (よう)虫 (ちゅう) (yōchū, “larva”)

Etymology

Kanji in this term
虫
むし Grade: 1
kun’yomi

/musi/ → /muɕi/

Pronunciation

• Kun’yomi
  • (Tokyo) むし [mùshí] (Heiban – [0])
  • IPA^(key): [mɯ̟ᵝɕi]

Noun

虫 (shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai kanji 蟲, hiragana むし, katakana ムシ, rōmaji mushi)

1. a bug, insect, worm

   Synonym: 昆虫 (konchū)

2. a serpent, snake

   獅 (し)子 (し)身 (しん)中 (ちゅう)の虫 (むし)

   shishi shinchū no mushi

   a serpent in a lion

   Synonym: 蛇 (hebi)

3. (figurative): a worm (person living for only one thing)

   本 (ほん)の虫 (むし)

   hon no mushi

   a bookworm

4. (derogatory): a worm (despicable person)

   泣 (な)き虫 (むし)

   nakimushi

   a sobbing worm; a blubberer

5. a temperament (thought which is in the deep in mind) (Can we verify⁽⁺⁾ this sense?)

   癇 (かん)の虫 (むし)

   kan no mushi

   a choleric temperament

6. (archaic) a male lover

   Synonyms: 愛人 (aijin), 情夫 (jōfu), 隠し男 (kakushi-otoko)

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 虫 (むし)食 (く)い (mushikui, “worm-eaten”)
• 虫 (むし)酸 (ず), 虫 (むし)唾 (づ) (mushizu, “heartburn”)
• 虫 (むし)歯 (ば) (mushiba, “bad tooth, dental caries, cavity”)
• 虫偏 (むしへん) (mushihen)
• 虫 (むし)眼 (め)鏡 (がね) (mushi megane, “magnifying glass”)
• 青虫 (アオムシ) (aomushi)
• 油 (あぶら)虫 (むし) (aburamushi, “cockroach”)
• 毛 (け)虫 (むし) (kemushi, “caterpillar”)
• 座 (ざ)頭 (とう)虫 (むし) (zatōmushi, “harvestman”)
• 鈴虫 (スズムシ) (suzumushi)
• 長虫 (ながむし) (nagamushi)
• 泣 (な)き虫 (むし) (nakimushi, “crybaby”)
• 鋏 (はさみ)虫 (むし), 蠼螋 (ハサミムシ) (hasamimushi, “earwig, maritime earwig”)
• 水虫 (ミズムシ) (mizumushi)
• 松虫 (マツムシ) (matsumushi)
• 蝮 (マムシ) (mamushi, “viper”)
• 弱 (よわ)虫 (むし) (yowamushi, “weakling”)

References