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蚍

pí
noun

Meanings

  1. 1 (in 蚍蜉) a large ant

Examples

蚍蜉撼大树，可笑不自量。
Pífúhàndàshù, kěxiào búzìliàng.
An ant trying to shake a great tree, ridiculously overrating itself.
他们的威胁不过是蚍蜉撼树。
Tāmen de wēixié búguò shì pífúhànshù.
Their threats are just an ant shaking a tree.

Tips

culture
Bound to 蚍蜉 (a big ant). Famous from the line 蚍蜉撼大树 — 'an ant trying to topple a great tree' — mocking someone who wildly overestimates their own strength.

Components

radical
虫 chóng
insect
Left-side insect radical 虫. An ant is an insect, so the bug radical marks the meaning.
phonetic
比 bǐ
to compare; (here) sound
Right side 比 supplies the sound (pí from bǐ); its 'compare' meaning has no role in the insect name.

Stroke Order

蚍 pí