蝉

蟬

chán

单 + 虫

Definitions

chán cicada

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 虫 represents the meaning and 单 represents the sound. Simplified form of 蟬.

Semantic: 虫 Phonetic: 单

About

The character 蝉 (simplified) or 蟬 (traditional) is a phono-semantic compound. Its left component, the insect radical 虫, places it within the semantic category of insects and small creatures. The right component, 单 (simplified) or 單 (traditional), functions solely as the phonetic indicator. The character specifically denotes the cicada, a large, winged insect known for the loud, continuous song produced by males in summer. Due to the cicada's life cycle, spending years underground as a nymph before emerging, shedding its skin, and transforming into a winged adult, the character has become associated with the concepts of shedding an outer shell and undergoing profound transformation. This symbolism is frequently employed in literary metaphors and idioms about discarding a hollow facade.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

夏天能听到蝉鸣。

Xiàtiān néng tīng dào chán míng.

You can hear the cicadas' chirping in summer.

树上的蝉声很响亮。

Shù shàng de chán shēng hěn xiǎngliàng.

The sound of cicadas on the tree is very loud.

我在树下发现一个蝉蜕。

Wǒ zài shù xià fāxiàn yīgè chán tuì.

I found a cicada molt under the tree.

这位运动员蝉联了冠军。

Zhè wèi yùndòngyuán chánliánle guànjūn.

This athlete won the championship consecutively.

他用金蝉脱壳之计逃脱。

Tā yòng jīnchántuōqiào zhī jì táotuō.

He used a plan of slipping away like a cicada shedding its skin to escape.

孩子们在公园里捉蝉。

Háizimen zài gōngyuán lǐ zhuō chán.

The children are catching cicadas in the park.

这件纱衣薄如蝉翼。

Zhè jiàn shāyī báo rú chányì.

This gauze garment is as thin as a cicada's wing.

蝉的幼虫要在地下生活多年。

Chán de yòuchóng yào zài dìxià shēnghuó duō nián.

The cicada's larva has to live underground for many years.

Related Characters

Component: 单

Component: 虫

蝉