蠕 (rú) - To wriggle & to squirm

蠕Tone 2

rú ｜ 20 strokes ｜ radical:

儒三

蠕 · rú

To wriggle;

to squirm;

to move like a worm;

to crawl slowly.

To wriggleto squirmto move like a worm

Usage highlights

Wriggling movementPeristalsisWriggling insectWriggling motionSquirming creatureSlow蠕变

Synonyms

  • 爬— to crawl
  • 扭动— to wriggle, to twist
  • 蠢动— to wriggle, to squirm (often of insects/larvae)

Antonyms

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The caterpillar wriggled along the branch (蠕动的毛虫).
  • The larvae squirm in the soil (蠕动的幼虫).
  • The worm slowly crawled across the path (蠕动的蠕虫).
  • The patient showed only a slight蠕动 in response.

Collocations

  • Wriggling movement(蠕动)
  • Peristalsis(intestinal蠕动)
  • Wriggling insect(蠕虫)
  • Wriggling motion(蠕行)
  • Squirming creature(蠕动物)
  • creep, in physics(Slow蠕变)

Idioms

  • Wriggling and squirming(蠕蠕而动)
  • The wriggling of a worm(蠕行蠕动)
  • To crawl like a worm(蠕蠕爬行)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • The character 蠕 is often associated with small, slow, and often unattractive forms of movement, like that of worms or larvae.
  • In traditional Chinese medicine and physiology, 蠕动 is used to describe the peristaltic movement of the intestines.
  • It carries a connotation of insignificance or lowly status due to its association with base creatures.

FAQ