蜒 (yán) - A type of insect larva & to wriggle or crawl like a worm

蜒Tone 2

yán ｜ 12 strokes ｜ radical:

妍嬿

蜒 · yán

A type of insect larva;

to wriggle or crawl like a worm;

used in the names of certain creatures like centipedes.

A type of insect larvato wriggle or crawl like a wormused in the names of certain creatures like

Usage highlights

CentipedeWriggling movementInsect larvaWinding pathSinuous riverMeandering course

Synonyms

  • 蠕— to wriggle; to squirm
  • 爬— to crawl; to climb

Antonyms

  • 直— straight (antonym to winding)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The larvae wriggled in the soil (幼虫在土壤中蜿蜒).
  • He saw a centipede in the garden (他在花园里看到一条蜒蚣).
  • The path winds through the mountains (小路在山间蜿蜒).

Collocations

  • Centipede(蜒蚣)
  • Wriggling movement(蜿蜒)
  • Insect larva(蜒虫)
  • Winding path(蜿蜒的小路)
  • Sinuous river(蜿蜒的河流)
  • Meandering course(蜒蜒)

Idioms

  • Winding and turning(蜿蜒曲折)
  • Meandering for thousands of miles(蜿蜒万里)
  • Twisting like a dragon(蜿蜒如龙)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • The character often appears in descriptions of winding, serpentine movements in nature, such as rivers, paths, or dragons.
  • In traditional Chinese medicine and folklore, creatures like the centipede (蜒蚣) were sometimes used in remedies or regarded as omens.
  • The character's usage in '蜿蜒' evokes imagery of natural landscapes, commonly found in classical poetry and prose.

FAQ