About
The character 蜕, whose traditional form is 蛻, is composed of the insect radical 虫 and the phonetic component 兑. Its core meaning relates to the process by which insects, snakes, or cicadas shed their outer skin, producing what is known as an exuviae. This concrete biological concept provided the basis for an extended metaphorical usage, where the character came to signify a more abstract transformation or the act of casting off an old state, such as in the sense of sloughing off a bad habit or undergoing a personal metamorphosis. The phonetic component 兑, while primarily serving a sound-indicating function, also carries connotations of exchange or sharpness, which some analyses loosely associate with the idea of an outer layer being removed or changed.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
这条蛇正在蜕皮。
幼虫蜕变成蝴蝶。
蝉蜕是一种中药材。
蜕皮是成长的过程。
每次蜕皮都意味着新生。
他经历了人生的蜕变。
公司正在经历蜕变阶段。
蜕化变质是危险的。