蜗 (wō) — (bound form) snail (used in compounds such as 蜗牛 and 蜗居)
Definition
蜗 (wō) is a bound form used only in compounds like 蜗牛 (snail) and 蜗居 (small cramped dwelling). It never stands alone.
bound form
snail (used in compounds such as 蜗牛 and 蜗居)
Examples
- 。Nà zhī wō niú pá dé hěn màn.That snail crawls very slowly.
- 蜗。Zhè ge chéng shì hěn duō nián qīng rén zhù zài xiǎo wō jū lǐ.Many young people in this city live in small cramped apartments.
- 。wō Niú yù dào wēi xiǎn shí huì suō jìn ké lǐ.When a snail encounters danger, it retracts into its shell.
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 蝸; 蜗 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
咼
咼wāi蝸wō
Same sound today
The traditional form 蝸 pairs 虫 with a sound part 咼; the simplified 蜗 is a shorthand and its right side is not the historical sound part.
Appears in
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