飞蛾 (fēi é) — moth | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

moth

Measure word · 只

Examples

飞蛾。
Yì zhī fēi é fēi jìn le fáng jiān.
A moth flew into the room.
，飞蛾。
Xià tiān wǎn shàng, fēi é zǒng xǐ huan wéi zhe dēng zhuǎn.
On summer nights, moths always like to circle around the light.
飞蛾，。
Tā kàn dào fēi é pū huǒ, jué de hěn shén qí.
He saw a moth darting into the flame and thought it was amazing.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

The character 飞 describes the kind of 蛾, naming a flying moth.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 飛; 飞 is its simplified writing.

For 飞, the traditional form 飛 pictures a bird flying upwards.

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

虫我蛾

Meaning part形符xíngfú

虫虫chónginsect

Sound part声符shēngfú

我

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape of 蛾 combines 虫, an insect, with 我, which gives the sound.

Appears in

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.