蚁 (yǐ) — ant (bound form, used in compound words)

Definition

蚁 is the bound root meaning 'ant', almost always paired with 蚂 to form the common word 蚂蚁. On its own it appears in set terms like 蚁后 (queen ant) and 蚁穴 (anthill).

bound form
ant (bound form, used in compound words)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 。
    Mǎ yǐ shì yì zhǒng shè huì xìng kūn chóng.
    Ants are a type of social insect.
  • 。
    yǐ Xué tōng cháng jiàn zài dì xià.
    Ant nests are usually built underground.
  • 。
    yǐ Hòu shì qún tǐ zhōng tǐ xíng zuì dà de.
    The queen ant is the largest in the colony.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 蟻; 蚁 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
虫虫chónginsect
Sound part声符shēngfú
義
義yì蟻yǐ
Same sound today

The traditional form 蟻 pairs 虫 (insect) with 義 as a sound part; the simplified 蚁 is a shorthand, and its parts are not the historical components.

Appears in
Insects

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