蛆

qū
noun #15,356

Measure Word

一条蛆 tiáo

Meanings

  1. 1 maggot

Characters

Examples

HSK 4
Lājītǒng lǐ shēng le qū.
Maggots appeared in the garbage bin.
HSK 7-9
Fǔlàn de shíwù hěn róngyì zhǎng qū.
Rotting food easily breeds maggots.

Tips

memory
The 虫 radical (insect) on the left signals it's a bug/creature. The right side 且 gives a hint at the pronunciation.

Components

radical
虫 chóng
insect; worm
Left-side insect radical - originally a pictograph of a coiled snake, broadened over time to cover all small crawling creatures. Indexes 蛆 (maggot, fly larva) in the bug family with 蚊 mosquito, 蜂 bee, 蛇 snake, 蛋 egg. Most chars naming small or creeping life carry this radical on the left.
phonetic
且 qiě
moreover; for now
Right 且 supplies the sound - qiě shifts to qū through a regular ie/u alternation in this phonetic family. Same phonetic anchors 沮 to dishearten, 阻 to block, 组 group, 祖 ancestor - all reading zǔ / jū / qū. Treat as a pure sound clue; 'moreover' has nothing to do with maggots.

Stroke Order

蛆 qū