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蜢 (měng) is a phono-semantic compound: its left-hand radical 虫 (chóng) signals an insect, and its right-hand component 孟 (mèng) provides the pronunciation. Although 孟 normally means 'eldest' or 'first', here it acts strictly as a phonetic. The character occurs almost exclusively in the word 蚱蜢 (zhàměng), the standard term for grasshopper or locust. Because of the insect's shape, 蜢 was also used historically in 舴蜢 (zéměng), describing a small, narrow wooden boat that glides over water with the slender profile and light movement of a grasshopper.
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