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蛭 is a phono-semantic compound: the radical 虫 (chóng) signals a worm or insect, and 至 (zhì) gives the sound. The character denotes a leech, a blood-sucking annelid that can be aquatic or terrestrial, and its radical classification groups it with other creepy-crawlies. It frequently occurs in the compounds 蚂蟥 (mǎhuáng) and 水蛭 (shuǐzhì), both referring to leeches, often associated with medicine or damp environments. The meaning is restricted entirely to this particular organism, without extending to other concepts.
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