About
The character "蝼", whose traditional form is "螻", is structured as a phono-semantic compound with the "虫" (worm/insect) radical on the left indicating its category, and the component "婁" on the right providing both phonetic value and a semantic hint related to bundling or clustering. Its core meaning has consistently referred to the mole cricket, a burrowing insect, with an extended figurative use for something small or insignificant, as seen in terms like "蝼蚁". While the simplified form replaced the complex phonetic component "婁" with "娄", the semantic field associated with small, underground insects remains central to the character's application.
Etymology Hide
