Definitions
Siberian jerboa
Etymology
About
The character 蟨 denotes a jerboa-like or rat-like creature, sometimes considered a mythological beast from western regions in classical Chinese taxonomy. It is a phono-semantic compound: the left side is the insect and animal radical 虫, indicating its semantic category as a creeping creature or beast, while the right side 厥 provides the phonetic element. Classical texts such as the Erya describe it as an animal that pairs with another mythical beast to forage and survive. Its meaning remains confined to classical zoology and mythological bestiaries, without developing any modern colloquial usage.
Etymology Hide
