(xiē) — scorpion

Definition

蝎 (xiē) is a bound morph meaning 'scorpion'; in modern Chinese it almost always appears as the suffix 蝎子. Not a standalone word.

bound form
scorpion

Examples

  • Shā mò lǐ yǒu yì zhǒng jù dú de xiē zi.
    There is a highly venomous scorpion in the desert.
  • Tā bèi xiē zi zhē le yí xià, téng dé zhí jiào.
    He was stung by a scorpion and screamed in pain.
  • Zhōng yī lǐ, xiē zi kě yǐ rù yào.
    In traditional Chinese medicine, scorpions can be used as medicine.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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 蠍; 蝎 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
Sound part声符shēngfú
xiēxiē
Same sound today

The traditional form 蠍 combines 虫 with 歇, a sound part; this describes 蠍, not the simplified 蝎.

Appears in

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