蟲

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word 蟲. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word 蟲, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say 蟲 in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word 蟲 you have here. The definition of the word 蟲 will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of蟲, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
See also: 虫 and 𮓼
蟲 U+87F2, 蟲
CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-87F2
← 蟱
 		CJK Unified Ideographs 蟳 →

Translingual

Han character

蟲 (Kangxi radical 142, 虫+12, 18 strokes, cangjie input 中戈中戈戈 (LILII), four-corner 50136, composition ⿱虫䖵)

References

  • Kangxi Dictionary: page 1098, character 16
  • Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 33633
  • Dae Jaweon: page 1562, character 22
  • Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 4, page 2891, character 6
  • Unihan data for U+87F2

Chinese

trad. 蟲
simp. 虫*
alternative forms 䖝
𧈰
⿱䖝⿰䖝䖝

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 蟲
Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)
Small seal script
Characters in the same phonetic series (蟲) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 
Old Chinese
痋 *l'uːŋ
鉵 *l'uːŋ
赨 *l'uːŋ
爞 *l'uːŋ, *l'uŋ
蟲 *l'uŋ, *l'uŋs
融 *luŋ
瀜 *luŋ

Ideogrammic compound (會意 / 会意): Triplication of 虫 (“snake; insect”).

Note that 虫 is also a traditional character on its own.

Etymology

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *djuŋ (“insect; bug”) (STEDT).

Pronunciation 1

Note:
  • tè̤ng - vernacular;
  • tṳ̀ng - literary.
Note:
  • tang2 - vernacular;
  • toeng2/tyoeng2 - literary.
Note:
  • thâng - vernacular;
  • thiông - literary.
Rime
Character 蟲
Reading # 1/2
Initial (聲) 澄 (11)
Final (韻) 東 (2)
Tone (調) Level (Ø)
Openness (開合) Open
Division (等) III
Fanqie 直弓切
Baxter drjuwng
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang 		/ɖɨuŋ/
Pan
Wuyun 		/ɖiuŋ/
Shao
Rongfen 		/ȡiuŋ/
Edwin
Pulleyblank 		/ɖuwŋ/
Li
Rong 		/ȡiuŋ/
Wang
Li 		/ȡĭuŋ/
Bernhard
Karlgren 		/ȡʱi̯uŋ/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex 		chóng
Expected
Cantonese
Reflex 		cung4
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character 蟲
Reading # 1/1
Modern
Beijing
(Pinyin) 		chóng
Middle
Chinese 		‹ drjuwng ›
Old
Chinese 		/*C.lruŋ/
English insect

Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system:

* Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence;
* Square brackets "" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. * as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p;
* Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix;
* Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary;

* Period "." indicates syllable boundary.
Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character 蟲
Reading # 1/2
No. 1506
Phonetic
component 		蟲
Rime
group 		終
Rime
subdivision 		0
Corresponding
MC rime 		蟲
Old
Chinese 		/*l'uŋ/
Notes 後省作蟲已見漢簡

Definitions

蟲

  1. bug, including insects, worms, etc. (Classifier: 隻／只 m c; 條／条 m c; 尾 h)
    1. (figuratively) powerless person
  2. (literary) animal, including human; creature
    倮蟲／倮虫  ―  luǒchóng  ―  creature without covering (furless, featherless, scaleless, shellless; including human)
    爬蟲／爬虫  ―  páchóng  ―  reptile
    大蟲／大虫  ―  dàchóng  ―  tiger
  3. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) insect infestation
  4. person of some characteristic
    懶蟲／懒虫  ―  lǎnchóng  ―  a lazy fellow
    糊塗蟲／糊涂虫  ―  hútúchóng  ―  a foolish one
  5. person who likes some activity and do it often
    書蟲／书虫  ―  shūchóng  ―  an avid book reader
    網蟲／网虫  ―  wǎngchóng  ―  a heavy internet user
    嫖蟲／嫖虫  ―  piáochóng  ―  one who frequently visit prostitutes
  6. a surname
Synonyms
Dialectal synonyms of 蟲子 (“insect; bug; worm (general term)”)
Variety Location Words
Classical Chinese 蟲, 蟲豸
Formal (Written Standard Chinese) 蟲, 蟲子
Northeastern Mandarin Beijing 蟲子, 蟲兒
Chengde 蟲
Chifeng 蟲子, 蟲
Hulunbuir (Hailar) 蟲
Heihe 蟲子
Qiqihar 蟲子
Harbin 蟲子
Jiamusi 蟲兒
Baicheng 蟲
Changchun 蟲子
Tonghua 蟲子
Shenyang 蟲子
Jinzhou 蟲
Singapore 蟲
Jilu Mandarin Tianjin 蟲子
Tangshan 蟲
Cangzhou 蟲子
Baoding 蟲兒, 蟲子
Shijiazhuang 蟲
Lijin 蟲子
Jinan 蟲, 蟲蟻兒
Jiaoliao Mandarin Dalian 蟲兒
Dandong 蟲
Yantai 蟲子
Qingdao 蟲子
Zhucheng 蟲子
Central Plains Mandarin Lingbao 蟲
Jining 蟲兒
Wanrong 蟲
Linfen 蟲
Shangqiu 蟲
Yuanyang 蟲
Zhengzhou 蟲
Xinyang 蟲
Baihe 蟲
Xi'an 蟲
Baoji 蟲
Tianshui 蟲
Xining 蟲
Xuzhou 蟲子, 蟲
Fuyang 蟲
Lanyin Mandarin Yinchuan 蟲
Lanzhou 蟲
Dunhuang 蟲
Hami 蟲
Ürümqi 蟲
Southwestern Mandarin Chengdu 蟲蟲兒
Nanchong 蟲
Dazhou 蟲蟲兒
Hanyuan 蟲
Xichang 蟲
Zigong 蟲
Chongqing 蟲
Wuhan 蟲
Yichang 蟲
Xiangyang 蟲
Tianmen 蟲, 蟲豸
Guiyang 蟲蟲
Zunyi 蟲
Bijie 蟲
Liping 蟲
Zhaotong 蟲
Dali 蟲
Kunming 蟲
Mengzi 蟲
Guilin 蟲
Liuzhou 蟲
Jishou 蟲
Changde 蟲
Hanzhong 蟲
Jianghuai Mandarin Nanjing 蟲
Yangzhou 蟲
Lianyungang 蟲
Lianshui 蟲
Nantong 蟲子, 蟲
Anqing 蟲
Wuhu 蟲子, 蟲
Hefei 蟲
Hong'an 蟲
Cantonese Hong Kong 蟲
Gan Nanchang 蟲蟻子
Huizhou Shexian 蟲
Jin Taiyuan 蟲子, 牛牛
Yangyuan 蟲子
Datong 蟲
Xinzhou 蟲子, 蟲蟲牛牛, 牛子, 牛牛子
Lüliang (Lishi) 蟲
Changzhi 蟲子, 圪蟲兒
Linhe 蟲子
Jining 蟲, 圪蟲
Hohhot 蟲, 圪蟲
Erenhot 蟲子, 圪蟲
Pingshan 蟲子
Zhangjiakou 蟲子
Handan 蟲子
Linzhou 蟲
Suide 蟲
Eastern Min Fuzhou 蟲, 蟲蟻
Southern Min Xiamen 蟲, 蟲蟻, 蟲豸
Quanzhou 蟲蟻, 蟲豸
Jinjiang 蟲豸
Zhangzhou 蟲蟻, 蟲豸
Tainan 蟲, 蟲豸
Singapore (Hokkien) 蟲
Xiang Changsha 蟲咬咬 childish

Compounds

Pronunciation 2

simp. and trad.
 蟲
alternative forms 蚛
Rime
Character 蟲
Reading # 2/2
Initial (聲) 澄 (11)
Final (韻) 東 (2)
Tone (調) Departing (H)
Openness (開合) Open
Division (等) III
Fanqie 直衆切
Baxter drjuwngH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang 		/ɖɨuŋH/
Pan
Wuyun 		/ɖiuŋH/
Shao
Rongfen 		/ȡiuŋH/
Edwin
Pulleyblank 		/ɖuwŋH/
Li
Rong 		/ȡiuŋH/
Wang
Li 		/ȡĭuŋH/
Bernhard
Karlgren 		/ȡʱi̯uŋH/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex 		zhòng
Expected
Cantonese
Reflex 		zung6
Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character 蟲
Reading # 2/2
No. 1508
Phonetic
component 		蟲
Rime
group 		終
Rime
subdivision 		0
Corresponding
MC rime 		仲
Old
Chinese 		/*l'uŋs/

Definitions

蟲

  1. (obsolete, of insect) to bite; to eat

Pronunciation 3

Rime
Character 蟲
Reading # 1/2
Initial (聲) 澄 (11)
Final (韻) 東 (2)
Tone (調) Level (Ø)
Openness (開合) Open
Division (等) III
Fanqie 直弓切
Baxter drjuwng
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang 		/ɖɨuŋ/
Pan
Wuyun 		/ɖiuŋ/
Shao
Rongfen 		/ȡiuŋ/
Edwin
Pulleyblank 		/ɖuwŋ/
Li
Rong 		/ȡiuŋ/
Wang
Li 		/ȡĭuŋ/
Bernhard
Karlgren 		/ȡʱi̯uŋ/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex 		chóng
Expected
Cantonese
Reflex 		cung4
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character 蟲
Reading # 1/1
Modern
Beijing
(Pinyin) 		chóng
Middle
Chinese 		‹ drjuwng ›
Old
Chinese 		/*C.lruŋ/
English insect

Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system:

* Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence;
* Square brackets "" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. * as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p;
* Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix;
* Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary;

* Period "." indicates syllable boundary.
Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character 蟲
Reading # 1/2
No. 1506
Phonetic
component 		蟲
Rime
group 		終
Rime
subdivision 		0
Corresponding
MC rime 		蟲
Old
Chinese 		/*l'uŋ/
Notes 後省作蟲已見漢簡

Definitions

蟲

  1. alternative form of 爞

Compounds

References

Japanese

Shinjitai

虫

Kyūjitai

蟲

Kanji

蟲

(Hyōgai kanji, kyūjitai kanji, shinjitai form 虫)

  1. Kyūjitai form of 虫: insect, bug

Readings

  • Go-on: じゅう (jū)←ぢゆう (dyuu, historical)
  • Kan-on: ちゅう (chū)←ちゆう (tyuu, historical)
  • Kun: むし (mushi, 蟲)

Korean

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 蟲 (MC drjuwng).

Historical Readings
Dongguk Jeongun Reading
Dongguk Jeongun, 1448 뜌ᇰ (Yale: ttyùng)
Middle Korean
Text Eumhun
Gloss (hun) Reading
Hunmong Jahoe, 1527 벌에〮 (Yale: pèlGéy) 튜ᇰ (Yale: thyùng)

Pronunciation

Hanja

Korean Wikisource has texts containing the hanja:

Wikisource

蟲 (eumhun 벌레 충 (beolle chung))

  1. hanja form? of 충 (“insect; bug”)

Compounds

References

  • 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典.

Vietnamese

Han character

蟲: Hán Nôm readings: trùng, sùng

  1. chữ Hán form of trùng (“insect; microbe, germ”)

Compounds

Wikious
Boobota
Sagapedia