蝎 (xiē): scorpion

Measure Word

一只蝎 zhī

Meanings

1 scorpion

Characters

蝎

xiē

scorpion

Examples

蝎子的毒液对人类有危险。

Xiēzi de dúyè duì rénlèi yǒu wēixiǎn.

Scorpion venom can be dangerous to humans.

在中药中，蝎被用来治疗某些疾病。

Zài zhōngyào zhōng, xiē bèi yònglái zhìliáo mǒuxiē jíbìng.

In traditional Chinese medicine, scorpions are used to treat certain ailments.

Tips

usage

蝎 is the bound form; the standalone word for scorpion is 蝎子. 蝎 alone appears in compounds like 天蝎座 (Scorpio constellation).

Components

radical

虫 chóng

insect; bug; worm

Left-side insect radical - pictograph of a curled-up creature with a hooded head. Anchors 蝎 in the bug family alongside 蜘 spider, 蚂 ant, 蜂 bee, 蛇 snake. A scorpion is venomous arthropod kin to spiders, so the radical does its job indexing the creature without needing to discriminate further.

phonetic

曷 hé

why; how (literary)

Right side 曷 supplies the sound - hé drifting to xiē through the h/x alternation visible in old finals. Same phonetic gives 渴 thirsty, 喝 drink, 谒 visit a superior, 揭 lift up. None of these share meaning with 蝎; the right side here is pure sound.