白蚁 (bái yǐ) — termite | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Literally 'white ant,' the everyday word for termite. Often confused with 蚂蚁 (ant), but 白蚁 are a different insect — they eat wood and damage buildings.

noun

termite

Measure word · 只

Examples

白蚁。
Zhè xiē bái yǐ zhèng zài chī wǒ jiā de mù tou.
These termites are eating the wood in my house.
白蚁，。
Lǎo fáng zi yǒu bái yǐ wèn tí, xū yào qǐng rén lái chǔ lǐ.
The old house has a termite problem and needs professionals to handle it.
白蚁，。
Mǎ yǐ bú shì bái yǐ, tā men shǔ yú bù tóng de kūn chóng.
Ants are not termites; they belong to different insects.

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.

白 gives white and 蚁 gives ant, describing the termite.

Characters in this word

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

白 is thought to picture either an acorn or a human head.

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.

虫義蟻

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

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