蠕动 (rú dòng) — to wriggle, to squirm; (geology) to creep

Definition

Literary/scientific verb meaning 'to wriggle, squirm, or creep' — used for slow, wave-like motion of worms and snakes, and technically for crustal creep. More formal and less common than everyday verbs like 爬.

verb
to wriggleto squirm(geology) to creep

Examples

  • 蠕动。
    Yì tiáo qiū yǐn zài ní tǔ lǐ màn màn rú dòng.
    An earthworm slowly wriggles in the soil.
  • 蠕动。
    Shé de shēn tǐ zài cǎo cóng zhōng rú dòng qián jìn.
    The snake's body squirmed forward through the grass.
  • 蠕动，。
    Dì qiào de rú dòng fēi cháng huǎn màn, měi nián zhǐ yǒu jǐ háo mǐ.
    The creep of the Earth's crust is extremely slow, only a few millimeters per year.

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.

蠕rúwriggle
动dòngmove

蠕 gives the wriggling manner and 动 gives the movement, so the word means to wriggle.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
虫虫chóng
Sound part声符shēngfú
需
需xū蠕rú
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

蠕 is built from 虫, a sign for a small creature, and 需, which provides the sound.

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 動; 动 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
力力lìstrength
Sound part声符shēngfú
重
重zhòng動dòng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 動 uses 力 (strength) and 重 as a sound part; 重 refers to a heavy bag ready to be moved by a human. This note is about 動, not 动.

Open 动 →

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