茧

繭/蠒

jiǎn

艹 + 虫

Definitions

jiǎn (bound form) cocoon; (bound form) callus (variant of 趼[jiǎn])

jiǎn variant of 繭|茧[jiǎn]

Etymology

A silk cocoon 艹 spun by a worm 虫

About

The traditional character 繭 is a phono-semantic compound. Its semantic radical 糸 (silk) indicates the material, while the inner component provides the phonetic element. The simplified form 茧 replaces this structure: the top radical 艹 (grass) sits above 虫 (insect), which directly points to the creature that produces it. The primary meaning is the silky cocoon spun by insect larvae, especially the silkworm. This sense later extended to calluses on skin, comparing the hardened, protective layer of such a callus to the tough casing of a pupa.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Late Shang dynasty (~1100 BC)

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Cao Wei (Three Kingdoms: 222-280 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

茧是蚕做的。

Jiǎn shì cán zuò de.

The cocoon is made by silkworms.

这是一个白色的茧。

Zhè shì yīgè báisè de jiǎn.

This is a white cocoon.

蚕在茧里变成蛾。

Cán zài jiǎn lǐ biàn chéng é.

Silkworms turn into moths in the cocoon.

他手上有厚厚的老茧。

Tā shǒu shàng yǒu hòuhòu de lǎojiǎn.

He has thick calluses on his hands.

工人们正在收集蚕茧。

Gōngrénmen zhèngzài shōují cánjiǎn.

The workers are collecting silkworm cocoons.

蚕从茧中出来时是蛾子。

Cán cóng jiǎn zhōng chūlái shí shì ézi.

When silkworms emerge from the cocoon, they are moths.

茧丝绸制品非常珍贵。

Jiǎn sīchóu zhìpǐn fēicháng zhēnguì.

Cocoon silk products are very precious.

突破心理的茧才能成长。

Tūpò xīnlǐ de jiǎn cáinéng chéngzhǎng.

Only by breaking through the psychological cocoon can one grow.

Related Characters

Component: 艹

Component: 虫

茧