昆虫 (kūn chóng) — insect | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Formal/scientific word for 'insect'. 虫子 is the everyday, casual word for bug or creepy-crawly and is broader (can include worms).

noun

insect

Measure word · 只, 群, 堆

Examples

昆虫。
Wǒ kàn dào yì zhī kūn chóng cóng huā shàng fēi qǐ lái.
I saw an insect fly up from a flower.
昆虫。
Yì qún kūn chóng zài cǎo dì shàng fēi lái fēi qù.
A group of insects is flying around on the grass.
昆虫。
Dì shàng yǒu yì duī kūn chóng.
There is a pile of insects on the ground.

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.

虫chónginsect

'昆' suggests many kinds and '虫' means insects, so the word names insects.

Characters in this word

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

昆 is drawn from a picture of an insect’s body and legs.

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 蟲; 虫 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 蟲 is the one the reference discusses; 虫 is also a traditional character on its own.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 5 HSK 2.0 Level 6 Insects

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