蟑 (zhāng) - Cockroach — refers to various species of roaches,

蟑Tone 1

zhāng ｜ 17 strokes ｜ radical:

悦丈

蟑 · zhāng

Cockroach — refers to various species of roaches, particularly the common household pest.

Cockroach — refers to various species of roaches,

Usage highlights

CockroachCockroach poisonCockroach trapAmerican cockroachGerman cockroachCockroach infestation

Synonyms

  • 蜚蠊— scientific/formal term for cockroach
  • 小强— slang term for cockroach (popularized by Stephen Chow's movies)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • There is a cockroach in the kitchen (厨房里有只蟑螂).
  • We need to buy cockroach poison (买蟑螂药).
  • Cockroaches are very resilient insects (蟑螂是很有韧性的昆虫).
  • He screamed when he saw a cockroach (他看到蟑螂时尖叫了).

Collocations

  • Cockroach(蟑螂)
  • Cockroach poison(蟑螂药)
  • Cockroach trap(蟑螂屋)
  • American cockroach(美洲蟑螂)
  • German cockroach(德国小蠊)
  • Cockroach infestation(蟑螂滋生)

Idioms

  • Like a cockroach scurrying across the street(如蟑螂过街)
  • Cockroach's tenacity(蟑螂的顽强)
  • Cockroach in the kitchen(厨房蟑螂)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • 蟑 is almost exclusively used in the compound word 蟑螂 to refer to cockroaches.
  • Cockroaches are universally viewed as pests in Chinese culture, associated with dirt and poor hygiene.
  • The character is rarely used outside of biological or pest control contexts.

FAQ