虫 chóng insect
insect; worm
How it came to be
象形 · Pictogram
A drawing of the thing it means.
Originally: snake
The oldest form is a snake, a kind of venomous snake; only later was the character used for insects.
用法
- 虫 alone can mean a bug/worm in casual speech, but the everyday standalone noun is actually 虫子 chóngzi.
- 昆虫 kūnchóng is the formal, biological term for 'insect,' used in science class or nature documentaries, while 虫子 chóngzi is what you'd yell if you saw one in your kitchen.
- 害虫 hàichóng specifically means 'pest' (a harmful insect, e.g. crop-destroying bugs), a fixed agricultural/gardening term.