About
The character for "bee" originally appeared in its traditional form as 蠭, composed of 逢 (meaning to meet or encounter) positioned above three 虫 (insects), suggesting a meeting or gathering of insects, which is an apt depiction of a swarm or hive. Over time, the more common traditional and simplified form stabilized as 蜂, a phono-semantic compound where 虫 indicates the insect category and 夆 serves as a phonetic component that also carries associative meaning, as 夆 can imply a sharp point, conceptually linking to a bee's stinger. This character’s core meaning has consistently referred to the honey-producing insect, but its application broadened metaphorically to describe anything resembling a bee’s collective and industrious nature, such as in words for a frenzied crowd or an organized, swarming attack. The structural simplification from 蠭 to 蜂 represents a streamlining of the character while retaining its essential phonetic and semantic clues.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
蜜蜂在花丛中飞。
蜂蜜很甜很好吃。
蜂巢里有好多蜜蜂。
小心不要被蜜蜂蜇到。
蜂群正在寻找新的巢穴。
蜂王负责产卵并领导蜂群。
蜂鸣声常常出现在春天的花园里。
蜂鸟虽然小但飞行速度非常快。