About
The character 蜢 (měng) is a phono-semantic compound in the insect category. Its left radical, 虫 (chóng), denotes the semantic class of insects or creeping creatures, while the right component, 孟 (mèng, eldest or first), provides the pronunciation. 蜢 appears almost exclusively in the compound 蚱蜢 (zhàměng), the standard word for grasshopper or locust. Historically, its slender form inspired the term 舴蜢 (zéměng), which describes a small, narrow wooden boat whose light, agile movement on water resembles that of a grasshopper.
Etymology Hide
