Definition
蛰 is a bound form (b.f.) meaning 'to hibernate' or 'to be dormant', but it cannot be used as a standalone verb like 冬眠 (dōngmián). It appears in literary and classical compounds such as 蛰伏 (zhéfú, 'to lie dormant'), 惊蛰 (jīngzhé, 'the Waking of Insects' solar term), and 蛰居 (zhéjū, 'to live in seclusion'). If you translate 'hibernate' back to Chinese, you would likely use 冬眠 for animals; 蛰 is more formal and restricted to fixed expressions.
b.f.
(bound form) to hibernateto be in a dormant state
Examples
- ，。Chūntiān dào le, zhé fú de dòngwù kāishǐ huódòng.Spring has arrived, and the dormant animals begin to stir.
- 蛰，。jīngzhé shì èrshísì jiéqì zhī yī, biāozhì zhe chūnléi zhà dòng.The Waking of Insects is one of the 24 solar terms, marking the first spring thunder.
- 蛰，。Tā zhé jū shēnshān, zhuānxīn xiězuò.He lives in seclusion in the deep mountains, focusing on writing.
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.