About
螅 (xī) is a phono-semantic compound with the insect radical 虫 (chóng) on the left, which classifies it among invertebrates, and the phonetic component 息 (xī) on the right. A modern scientific coinage, it was created to translate the names of simple aquatic invertebrates from the phylum Cnidaria. Used almost exclusively in biological terminology, it appears as a bound morpheme in compounds like 水螅 (hydra) and 珊瑚螅 (coral polyp). Due to its specialized nature as a translated term, it has no metaphorical or colloquial uses, remaining confined to academic contexts discussing these organisms.
Example Sentences Hide
水螅生活在淡水中。
我们可以用放大镜看水螅。
水螅的身体是半透明的。
水螅用触手捕捉食物。
这种水螅喜欢清洁的水域。
在实验室里培养水螅并不难。
水螅的再生现象常被生物学研究。
通过研究水螅纲动物，科学家探索进化过程。