蝗

huáng

皇 + 虫

Definitions

huáng locust

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 虫 represents the meaning and 皇 represents the sound.

Semantic: 虫 Phonetic: 皇

About

The character 蝗 (huáng) means "locust". It is a phono-semantic compound. The left radical 虫 (chóng) provides the semantic category of insects or creeping things. The right component 皇 (huáng), meaning "emperor", supplies the phonetic element for the pronunciation. This phonetic choice may subtly evoke the overwhelming, sovereign-like devastation of a locust swarm, but the character's primary function is to denote the specific swarming grasshopper species historically responsible for widespread crop destruction.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

田里有很多蝗虫。

tián lǐ yǒu hěn duō huángchóng.

There are many locusts in the field.

蝗虫吃光了地里的庄稼。

huángchóng chī guāng le dì lǐ de zhuāngjia.

The locusts ate up all the crops in the field.

新闻报道了非洲的蝗灾。

xīnwén bàodào le fēizhōu de huángzāi.

The news reported on the locust plague in Africa.

农民们正在努力防治蝗害。

nóngmín men zhèngzài nǔlì fángzhì huánghài.

The farmers are working hard to prevent and control locust damage.

古代经常发生严重的蝗灾。

gǔdài jīngcháng fāshēng yánzhòng de huángzāi.

Severe locust plagues often occurred in ancient times.

卫星图像帮助监测蝗群移动。

wèixīng túxiàng bāngzhù jiāncè huáng qún yídòng.

Satellite imagery helps monitor the movement of locust swarms.

科学家研究蝗虫的迁徙规律。

kēxuéjiā yánjiū huángchóng de qiānxǐ guīlǜ.

Scientists study the migration patterns of locusts.

有效的国际合作可以控制蝗灾蔓延。

yǒuxiào de guójì hézuò kěyǐ kòngzhì huángzāi mànyán.

Effective international cooperation can control the spread of locust plagues.

Related Characters

Component: 皇

Component: 虫

蝗