About
蛇 is a phono-semantic compound: the radical 虫 (huǐ/chóng) on the left places it among insects, reptiles, and creeping animals, while the component 它 (tā) on the right provides the sound. 它 originally depicted a snake, and the character was first written simply as 它 before the semantic 虫 classifier was later added to clarify the meaning. The character specifically denotes a snake, and metaphorically extends to things winding, malicious, or treacherous.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
这是一条小蛇。
我看到了一条蛇。
蛇在草地上爬行。
蛇是一种爬行动物。
蛇的皮肤非常光滑。
小心,那条蛇可能有毒。
在动物园里,我们看到了许多蛇。
研究人员正在研究蛇的毒液。
Report an issue
Flag incorrect definitions, examples, etymology, etc.