蜂

䗬/蠭

fēng

夆 + 虫

Definitions

fēng (noun) bee; wasp

Etymology phono-semantic

insect

Semantic: 虫 Phonetic: 夆

About

蜂 is a phono-semantic compound: the radical 虫 places it within the category of insects, worms, and reptiles, while the phonetic 逢 (fēng) gives the pronunciation and is occasionally theorized to additionally evoke the ideas of encountering or gathering. Literally, the character refers to bees, wasps, and hornets, which are flying, stinging hymenopterans that often live in complex social colonies. Metaphorically, it captures scenes of dense, swarming crowds or actions erupting in a simultaneous, overwhelming rush, like a disturbed beehive, and it is frequently used to describe people flocking together rapidly or events happening all at once in massive numbers.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

蜜蜂在花丛中飞。

Mì fēng zài huā cóng zhōng fēi.

Bees are flying among the flowers.

蜂蜜很甜很好吃。

Fēng mì hěn tián hěn hǎo chī.

Honey is sweet and delicious.

蜂巢里有好多蜜蜂。

Fēng cháo lǐ yǒu hǎo duō mì fēng.

There are many bees in the beehive.

小心不要被蜜蜂蜇到。

Xiǎo xīn bù yào bèi mì fēng zhē dào.

Be careful not to be stung by bees.

蜂群正在寻找新的巢穴。

Fēng qún zhèng zài xún zhǎo xīn de cháo xué.

The bee colony is looking for a new hive.

蜂王负责产卵并领导蜂群。

Fēng wáng fù zé chǎn luǎn bìng lǐng dǎo fēng qún.

The queen bee is responsible for laying eggs and leading the colony.

蜂鸣声常常出现在春天的花园里。

Fēng míng shēng cháng cháng chū xiàn zài chūn tiān de huā yuán lǐ.

The buzzing sound often appears in the garden in spring.

蜂鸟虽然小但飞行速度非常快。

Fēng niǎo suī rán xiǎo dàn fēi xíng sù dù fēi cháng kuài.

Hummingbirds are small but fly very fast.

Related Characters

Component: 夆

Component: 虫

蜂