蚍 (pí) - A type of large ant & used metaphorically for something small or insignificant in

蚍Tone 2

pí ｜ 10 strokes ｜ radical:

柠七

蚍 · pí

A type of large ant;

used metaphorically for something small or insignificant in comparison to something great.

A type of large antused metaphorically for something small or insignificant in

Usage highlights

Large antShaking a treeAnt shaking a treeSmall antAnt

Synonyms

  • 蚁— ant (more common term)
  • 蚂蚁— ant (standard term)

Antonyms

  • 大树— big tree (what the ant tries to shake)
  • 巨人— giant (opposite of something small)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The ant tries to shake a giant tree (蚍蜉撼树).
  • Small forces attempting the impossible (蚍蜉撼大树).
  • Insignificant compared to the great (蚍蜉之于大树).

Collocations

  • Large ant(蚍蜉)
  • Shaking a tree(撼树)
  • Ant shaking a tree(蚍蜉撼树)
  • Small ant(蚍蚁)
  • Ant-like strength(蚍蜉之力)

Idioms

  • An ant trying to topple a giant tree — overestimating one's capabilities(蚍蜉撼树)
  • Like a mayfly shaking a tree — ridiculously overambitious(蚍蜉撼大树)
  • Ants trying to shake a tree — futile effort(蚍蜉撼树谈何易)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In Chinese literature, 蚍蜉 (large ant) is often used as a metaphor for insignificant forces attempting to challenge something powerful or established.
  • The character appears almost exclusively in the compound 蚍蜉 and its derived idioms, particularly 蚍蜉撼树.
  • This character carries classical literary connotations and is rarely used in modern vernacular Chinese outside of fixed expressions.

FAQ