蚕

蠶

cán

天 + 虫

Definitions

cán (noun) silkworm

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 虫 represents the meaning and 天 represents the sound. Simplified form of 蠶.

Semantic: 虫 Phonetic: 天

About

The simplified character 蚕 is a phonosemantic compound: 虫 'insect' gives the meaning, and 天 'heaven' (tiān) provides the sound, placed directly above the insect radical. It is the simplified form of 蠶, which is built from the phonetic 朁 on top of two 虫 components, emphasizing its insect nature. The character denotes the silkworm, the caterpillar cultivated for silk production, a creature of great economic importance. Its meaning is strictly literal, with no extended metaphors.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

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

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

蚕宝宝吃桑叶。

Cán bǎobǎo chī sāngyè.

Silkworms eat mulberry leaves.

我养了一些蚕。

Wǒ yǎngle yīxiē cán.

I raised some silkworms.

蚕丝非常柔软。

Cánsī fēicháng róuruǎn.

Silk is very soft.

春天是养蚕的季节。

Chūntiān shì yǎng cán de jìjié.

Spring is the season for raising silkworms.

蚕食现象在自然界很常见。

Cánshí xiànxiàng zài zìránjiè hěn chángjiàn.

The phenomenon of nibbling away is common in nature.

这些蚕正在吐丝作茧。

Zhèxiē cán zhèngzài tǔ sī zuò jiǎn.

These silkworms are spinning silk to make cocoons.

古代中国以丝绸闻名，而丝绸源于蚕。

Gǔdài Zhōngguó yǐ sīchóu wénmíng, ér sīchóu yuán yú cán.

Ancient China was famous for silk, and silk comes from silkworms.

通过观察蚕的生命周期，孩子们学到了自然知识。

Tōngguò guānchá cán de shēngmìng zhōuqī, háizimen xuédàole zìrán zhīshi.

By observing the life cycle of silkworms, children learned about nature.

Related Characters

Component: 天

Component: 虫

蚕