蛰 (zhé) — (bound form) to hibernate; to be in a dormant state
Definition
蛰 (zhé) is a literary 'bound form' — it only appears in set compounds like 蛰伏 (hibernate, lie dormant) and 惊蛰 (Waking of Insects, a solar term). Standalone use is rare.
bound form
to hibernateto be in a dormant state
Examples
- ，。Chūn tiān dào le, zhé fú de dòng wù kāi shǐ huó dòng.Spring has arrived, and the dormant animals begin to stir.
- 蛰，。Jīng zhé shì èr shí sì jié qì zhī yī, biāo zhì zhe chūn léi zhà dòng.The Waking of Insects is one of the 24 solar terms, marking the first spring thunder.
- 蛰，。Tā zhé jū shēn shān, zhuān xīn xiě zuò.He lives in seclusion in the deep mountains, focusing on writing.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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 蟄; 蛰 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
執
執zhí蟄zhé
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The traditional form 蟄 pairs 虫 (bug) with 執 as its sound part; the story is about 蟄, not about 蛰.
Appears in
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