About
蜩 is a phono-semantic compound, combining the left-side insect radical 虫, which signals its semantic category of insects and small creatures, with the right-side component 周, which provides the phonetic element. Its specific meaning is the cicada, a large, buzzing insect prominent in summer. In classical Chinese poetry and literature, this character is often used to evoke late summer or autumn, symbolizing the passage of time, life’s transience, or a note of melancholy, though modern Chinese has largely adopted other common terms for the insect.
Etymology Hide
