蛇

Translingual

Stroke order

Han character

蛇 (Kangxi radical 142, 虫+5, 11 strokes, cangjie input 中戈十心 (LIJP), four-corner 5311₁, composition ⿰虫它)

Derived characters

• 㵃, 𨫯, 𬠶

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 1080, character 20
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 32964
• Dae Jaweon: page 1548, character 36
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 4, page 2845, character 8
• Unihan data for U+86C7

Chinese

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 蛇
Warring States	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Qin slip script	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *l̥ʰaːl, *ɦljaːl, *lal) : semantic 虫 + phonetic 它 (OC *l̥ʰaːl). 它 was also the original pictographic form of this character.

Etymology 1

Unclear. Various theories have been proposed:

• Starostin sets up Proto-Sino-Tibetan *lăj (“snake”), comparing this with Mizo hlai-ba (“a species of snake”) and Jingpho palai (“a species of iguana”). He also compares it to Proto-Kam-Sui *dzuːi² (“snake”). Schuessler (2007) considers these Tibeto-Burman forms to be unrelated.
• Matisoff (2003) relates it to Proto-Sino-Tibetan *s-b/m-ruːl (“snake”), but this comparison is no longer held in STEDT.
• Sagart (2005) relates it to Proto-Loloish *lay¹/² (“python”), which STEDT derives from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *g-lja(ŋ/k) (“python”), as well as Proto-Austronesian *bulay (“snake”). Comparison with the Austronesian form has been challenged by Orlandi (2018).
• Schuessler (2007) notes similarity to Proto-Hlai *ljaːɦ (“snake”) (from Pre-Hlai *Cilaːɦ) as well as to Austronesian words, such as Rade ala (“snake”), but considers the Kra-Dai forms to be possible borrowings from Chinese. (He does not seem to address the Austronesian forms directly.) In his view, a more likely relationship is with the /-lé/ in Khmer រលេ (rɔlei, “sinuously, in a twisting or wiggling manner (as a snake swimming)”). In Old Chinese, this also provides the second syllable in 委蛇 (OC *qrol lal, “winding; compliant; graceful”). 蛇 (“the winding thing”) is then a euphemism for common Sino-Tibetan 虺 (OC *hŋlulʔ, “snake”) for taboo reasons.
• Zhengzhang (2011) relates it to Proto-Austronesian *SulaR (“snake”).

Pronunciation 1

Definitions

蛇

1. snake; serpent (Classifier: 條／条 m c; 尾 m mn)

   • 耶和華神對女人說：「你做的是甚麼事呢？」女人說：「那蛇引誘我，我就吃了。」 [MSC, trad.]
     耶和华神对女人说：「你做的是什么事呢？」女人说：「那蛇引诱我，我就吃了。」 [MSC, simp.]

     From: 新標點和合本 (Chinese Union Version with New Punctuation), 創世記 (Genesis) 3:13

     Yēhéhuá Shén duì nǚrén shuō: “Nǐ zuò de shì shènme shì ne?” Nǚrén shuō: “Nà shé yǐnyòu wǒ, wǒ jiù chī le.”

     And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

   • c. 3rd century BCE, 荀子 [Xunzi], 荀子 [Xunzi]:

     蟹六跪而二螯，非蛇蟺之穴無可寄託者，用心躁也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     蟹六跪而二螯，非蛇蟺之穴无可寄托者，用心躁也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     Xiè liù guì ér èr áo, fēi shé shàn zhī xué wú kě jì tuō zhě, yòng xīn zào yě.

     A crab has six feet and two pincers, but it cannot live without the holes of snakes and eels, it is because it has an uncalm heart.

2. illegal immigrant

   人蛇  ―  rénshé  ―  illegal immigrant

   蛇頭／蛇头  ―  shétóu  ―  people smuggler

3. (Cantonese) to shirk one's duty; to be lazy on the job
4. (Cantonese, poker) straight
5. (regional, pathology) herpes zoster; shingles

   生蛇 [Cantonese]  ―  saang¹ se⁴   ―  to have shingles

   蛇針／蛇针 [Cantonese]  ―  se⁴ zam¹   ―  shingles vaccine

6. a surname

Synonyms

• (snake):

• (straight): 順子／顺子 (shùnzi)
• (shingles):

Descendants

Compounds

Pronunciation 2

Definitions

蛇

1. Used in 蛇蛇 (“facile (of words); calmly; leisurely”).
2. Used in 委蛇 (wēiyí, “winding; meandering; pretending interest and sympathy”).

Compounds

Etymology 2

From English sir.

Pronunciation

Definitions

蛇

1. (Cantonese) sir (used when addressing policemen or male schoolteachers)

Compounds

See also

• (Chinese zodiac signs) 鼠 (shǔ), 牛 (niú), 虎 (hǔ), 兔 (tù), 龍／龙 (lóng), 蛇 (shé), 馬／马 (mǎ), 羊 (yáng), 猴 (hóu), 雞／鸡 (jī), 狗 (gǒu), 豬／猪 (zhū) ^{(Category: zh:Chinese zodiac signs)}

References

• “蛇”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎, 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–
• Dictionary of Chinese Character Variants (教育部異體字字典), A03624
• “Entry #7843”, in 臺灣閩南語常用詞辭典 (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2023.

Japanese

Kanji

(common “Jōyō” kanji)

Readings

• Go-on: じゃ (ja, Jōyō)^{←じや (zya, historical)}; た (ta); い (i)
• Kan-on: しゃ (sha)^{←しや (sya, historical)}; た (ta); い (i)
• Kan’yō-on: だ (da, Jōyō)
• Kun: へび (hebi, 蛇, Jōyō); くちなわ (kuchinawa, 蛇)^{←くちなは (kutinafa, 蛇, historical)}

Compounds

Etymology 1

Japanese Wikipedia has an article on:

ヘビ

Wikipedia ^ja

English Wikipedia has an article on:

Snake

Wikipedia

/pemi/ → /ɸemi/ → /ɸebi/ → /hebi/

Shift from older hemi (see below). The medial /m/ lost its nasal quality to become a plosive.

Appears in texts from the 1300s.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) へ​び (Atamadaka – )
• IPA^(key):

Noun

蛇(へび) or 蛇(ヘビ) • (hebi) 

1. a snake, serpent
   • 1999 March 6, “デビル・スネーク [Devil Snake]”, in Starter(スターター) Box(ボックス), Konami:

     目(め)が一(ひと)つしかないヘビ。冷(れい)気(き)をはき出(だ)し、相(あい)手(て)を氷(こおり)づけにする。

     Me ga hitotsu shikanai hebi. Reiki o hakidashi, aite o kōrizuke ni suru.

     A single-eyed snake that breathes out frigid air to freeze its opponents.

   • 1999 May 27, “生(い)き血(ち)をすするもの”, in Vol.3, Konami:

     暗(くら)闇(やみ)の中(なか)、道(みち)行(ゆ)く人(ひと)々(びと)を襲(おそ)う人(ひと)型(がた)の吸(きゅう)血(けつ)ヘビ。

     Kurayami no naka, michiyuku hitobito o osou hitogata no kyūketsu hebi.

     A humanoid blood-sucking serpent who assaults passerby from the dark.

   • 2000 May 1, “グラップラー”, in BOOSTER 7, Konami:

     ずるがしこいヘビ。太(ふと)くて長(なが)い身(しん)体(たい)で締(し)め付(つ)ける攻(こう)撃(げき)に注(ちゅう)意(い)！

     Zurugashikoi hebi. Futokute nagai shintai de shimetsukeru kōgeki ni chūi!

     Watch out! This devious serpent will grapple you tight with its long and thick body!

2. a snake (treacherous person)

Usage notes

As with many terms that name organisms, this term is often spelled in katakana, especially in biological contexts (where katakana is customary), as ヘビ.

Derived terms

Idioms

Proverbs

• 蛇(へび)に嚙(か)まれて朽(く)ち縄(なわ)に怖(お)じる (hebi ni kamarete kuchinawa ni ojiru)
• 蛇(へび)に見(み)込(こ)まれた蛙(かえる) (hebi ni mikomareta kaeru)
• 蛇(じゃ)の道(みち)は蛇(へび) (ja no michi wa hebi)

Etymology 2

⟨pe₂mi₁⟩ → */pəɨmʲi/ → /pemi/ → /ɸemi/ → /hemi/

From Old Japanese.

Derivation theories include:

• Possibly cognate with Korean 뱀 (baem, “snake”).
• Possibly related to, or influenced by, Old Japanese-derived verb 食む (hamu, “to bite”).
• Possibly also related to 波布 (habu, “a kind of poisonous pit viper native to Okinawa”).

Noun

蛇(へみ) • (hemi) 

1. (obsolete) a snake, serpent

Derived terms

• 巳(み) (mi, the “snake” in astrology)

Etymology 3

Extension of 朽ち縄 (kuchinawa, literally “rotten rope”), as such a rope resembles the appearance of a snake.

朽ち縄 (kuchinawa) itself is from くち (kuchi, 連(れん)用(よう)形(けい) (ren'yōkei, “stem or continuative form”) of the verb くちる (“to rot”).) + 縄(なわ) (nawa, “rope”)

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) くちなわ (Heiban – )
• IPA^(key):

Noun

蛇(くちなわ) • (kuchinawa) ^{←くちなは (kutinafa)?}

1. (obsolete) a snake, serpent

Derived terms

• 蛇(くちなわ)苺(いちご) (kuchinawa ichigo)
• 烏(からす)蛇(くちなわ) (karasu kuchinawa)
• 黒(くろ)蛇(くちなわ) (kurokuchinawa)

Etymology 4

From Middle Chinese 蛇 (MC zyae).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) じゃ​ (Atamadaka – )
• IPA^(key):

Noun

蛇(じゃ) • (ja) 

1. a snake, serpent
2. Short for 蛇之助 (janosuke): a heavy drinker

Derived terms

Proverbs

Affix

蛇(じゃ) • (ja) 

1. snake, serpent
2. snakelike, snaky

Derived terms