About
The character "蟪" is composed of the insect radical "虫" on the left and the phonetic component "惠" (huì) on the right, structurally indicating a type of insect. Its etymology is linked specifically to the cicada, and it has historically been used almost exclusively in the compound "蟪蛄" (huìgū), which names a particular species of small cicada known for its summer song. While the core semantic field of the character has remained within entomology, its application narrowed over time from a broader category of cicadas to this specific binomial term, and it is seldom used independently in modern language. The traditional form of the character is identical to the form shown here.
Etymology Hide