蜈 (wú) - Centipede — a long, many-legged arthropod, often venomous & used in compound words for centipede species.

蜈Tone 2

wú ｜ 13 strokes ｜ radical:

万响

蜈 · wú

Centipede — a long, many-legged arthropod, often venomous;

used in compound words for centipede species.

Centipede — a long, many-legged arthropod, often venomousused in compound words for centipede species.

Usage highlights

CentipedeCentipede grassCentipede vineCentipede orchid

Synonyms

  • 蜈蚣— centipede (full term)
  • 百足— hundred legs (literary term for centipede)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • I saw a centipede in the garden (蜈蚣).
  • Some centipedes have venomous bites (蜈蚣的毒液).
  • Centipede grass is a type of lawn grass (蜈蚣草).

Collocations

  • Centipede(蜈蚣)
  • Centipede grass(蜈蚣草)
  • Centipede vine(蜈蚣藤)
  • Centipede orchid(蜈蚣兰)
  • Centipede-like(蜈蚣形)

Idioms

  • Hundred-legged insect dies but doesn't stiffen(百足之虫，死而不僵)
  • Centipede has hundred legs but moves as one(蜈蚣百足，行不及蛇)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In Chinese medicine, dried centipedes are used for treating convulsions, tetanus, and arthritis.
  • Centipedes are considered one of the 'five poisonous creatures' (五毒) in Chinese folklore.
  • The character appears almost exclusively in the compound 蜈蚣 (centipede), rarely used alone.

FAQ