About
The character 蝮 is a phono-semantic compound, with the semantic radical 虫 indicating its category of insects, reptiles, and crawling creatures, and the phonetic component 复 providing its pronunciation. Its primary meaning refers to a venomous snake, specifically a pit viper or adder, historically feared for its lethal bite. The character is used mainly in biological taxonomy and literary descriptions of dangerous serpents, with few extended metaphorical uses, though it occasionally appears in historical texts to describe individuals as malicious or treacherous like a venomous snake.
Etymology Hide
