虱 (shī) - Louse — a small, wingless parasitic insect that
虱 · shī
Louse — a small, wingless parasitic insect that lives on the skin of mammals and birds.
Louse — a small, wingless parasitic insect that
Usage highlights
LouseHead louseBody lousePubic louseCrab louseLice egg
Usage & contexts
Examples
- He scratched his head because of lice (虱子).
- The dog has fleas and lice (跳蚤和虱子).
- Check for head lice (头虱) in children.
- Body lice (体虱) can spread disease.
Collocations
- Louse(虱子)
- Head louse(头虱)
- Body louse(体虱)
- Pubic louse(阴虱)
- Crab louse(蟹虱)
- Lice egg(虱卵)
Idioms
- Like a louse on a bald head — extremely obvious(秃子头上的虱子 — 明摆着)
- To nitpick(吹毛求疵)
- To catch lice — to engage in trivial, meticulous work(捉虱子)
Cultural background
FAQ- Historically associated with poverty and poor hygiene in Chinese culture.
- Used metaphorically to describe petty annoyances or trivial problems.
- Appears in folk sayings and idioms to represent something obvious or bothersome.