蝠

fú

畐 + 虫

Definitions

fú (bound form) bat

Etymology

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

Semantic: 虫 Phonetic: 畐

About

蝠 (fú) is a phonosemantic compound: the radical 虫 (chóng, 'insect') provides the meaning, and 畐 (fú) gives the sound. In early Chinese taxonomy, the 虫 radical grouped creatures like insects, bugs, and small animals, so it places the bat among crawling or flying creatures. The phonetic component 畐 originally pictured a full granary and signified abundance. Because 蝠 sounds identical to 福 (fú, 'blessings, good fortune'), the bat became a widespread emblem of luck and prosperity, even though the character itself strictly refers to the flying mammal, as in the compound 蝙蝠 (biānfú).

Etymology Hide

Bronze Late Shang dynasty (~1100 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

蝙蝠在夜晚飞。

Biānfú zài yèwǎn fēi.

Bats fly at night.

我看到一只蝙蝠。

Wǒ kàndào yī zhī biānfú.

I saw a bat.

蝙蝠住在山洞里。

Biānfú zhù zài shāndòng lǐ.

Bats live in caves.

蝙蝠使用回声定位。

Biānfú shǐyòng huíshēng dìngwèi.

Bats use echolocation.

蝙蝠是哺乳动物，会飞。

Biānfú shì bǔrǔ dòngwù, huì fēi.

Bats are mammals that can fly.

因为蝙蝠吃昆虫，所以对农业有益。

Yīnwèi biānfú chī kūnchóng, suǒyǐ duì nóngyè yǒuyì.

Because bats eat insects, they are beneficial to agriculture.

虽然蝙蝠看起来像鸟，但它们不是鸟类。

Suīrán biānfú kàn qǐlái xiàng niǎo, dàn tāmen bù shì niǎolèi.

Although bats look like birds, they are not birds.

科学家研究蝙蝠的导航系统，以改进雷达技术。

Kēxuéjiā yánjiū biānfú de dǎoháng xìtǒng, yǐ gǎijìn léidá jìshù.

Scientists study bats' navigation systems to improve radar technology.

Related Characters

Component: 畐

Component: 虫

蝠