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The character 蜗, corresponding to the traditional form 蝸, is a phono-semantic compound. Its left component, the insect radical 虫 (chóng), indicates the semantic category of small creatures, while the right component 呙 (guō) provides the pronunciation, simplified from 咼. Historically, the character has been used to name the snail, a terrestrial gastropod mollusk with a coiled shell. Due to the snail's slow movement and its shell-bound existence, 蜗 is often used metaphorically to describe extreme slowness or confined living conditions. This is seen in common compounds like 蜗牛 (snail) and 蜗居 (literally "snail dwelling", referring to a very small, cramped home).
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
花园里有一只蜗牛。
蜗牛爬得很慢。
下雨后，蜗牛出来了。
他的蜗居很小但温馨。
蜗牛背着重重的壳。
在都市中，许多人只能蜗居在斗室。
蜗杆传动机构常用于机械设计。
科学家研究蜗牛的黏液以开发新材料。