About
The character 螈 is a phono-semantic compound. The left radical 虫, meaning insect or reptile, classifies it among small creeping creatures. The right component 原, meaning source, provides the pronunciation "yuán". This character specifically denotes salamanders or newts, aquatic or moist amphibians. It functions as a precise zoological term without metaphorical meanings, used primarily in the compound "蝾螈" (róngyuán) to refer to these species.