蛊 (gǔ) - Gu — refers to a legendary venomous insect & poison

蛊Tone 3

gǔ ｜ 11 strokes ｜ radical:

枫惠

蛊 · gǔ

Gu — refers to a legendary venomous insect;

poison;

to poison;

to harm;

to bewitch;

to corrupt;

also refers to a type of hexagram in the I Ching.

Gu — refers to a legendary venomous insectpoisonto poison

Usage highlights

Venomous insectPoisonBewitch and confuseHexagram GuHarm and poisonSorcery and witchcraft

Synonyms

  • 毒— poison, toxin
  • 蛊毒— venomous poison, gu poison

Antonyms

  • 药— medicine, remedy
  • 医— healing, medicine

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • Ancient legends speak of venomous insects (蛊毒).
  • The hexagram Gu represents decay and renewal (蛊卦).
  • He was accused of using black magic to bewitch others (蛊惑).
  • Corruption can poison society (蛊害社会).

Collocations

  • Venomous insect(蛊虫)
  • Poison(蛊毒)
  • Bewitch and confuse(蛊惑)
  • Hexagram Gu(蛊卦)
  • Harm and poison(蛊害)
  • Sorcery and witchcraft(蛊术)

Idioms

  • To bewitch and mislead the masses(蛊惑人心)
  • Working poison and practicing sorcery(作蛊行巫)
  • The Gu hexagram in the I Ching(易经蛊卦)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In ancient Chinese folklore, 'gu' referred to a legendary venomous insect created by placing various poisonous creatures in a sealed container until one survived, becoming extremely toxic.
  • The concept appears in the I Ching (Book of Changes) as the 18th hexagram, representing decay that must be addressed and transformed.
  • Historically associated with witchcraft and black magic in southern Chinese and minority cultures.
  • The character structure shows insects in a vessel, reflecting the folk practice of creating poisonous gu.

FAQ