About
The character "蛲", with its traditional form "蟯", is structured around the insect radical "虫" and the phonetic component "堯", which was later simplified to "尧". This character has historically denoted small parasitic worms, with its meaning gradually specializing to refer specifically to the pinworm, Enterobius vermicularis. The insect radical consistently signals its association with worms, while the phonetic element serves primarily to indicate pronunciation, reflecting a typical pattern in Chinese character formation where semantic and phonetic parts combine.
Etymology Hide
