About
The character 蝾, written 蠑 in its traditional form, is a phono-semantic compound. The left-hand radical 虫 indicates that the word belongs to the category of insects, reptiles, and amphibians, while the right-hand component 荣 (or 榮 in the traditional script) provides the pronunciation. The character was created to name certain amphibians and is now encountered almost exclusively in the two-character term 蝾螈 (róngyuán), which translates to salamander or newt. By using the bug/reptile radical, it classifies the animal within the traditional Chinese taxonomic system. The character has no extended or metaphorical meanings.
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