蠦 (lú) - Louse — refers to small parasitic insects, specifically

蠦Tone 2

lú ｜ 22 strokes ｜ radical:

林伦

蠦 · lú

Louse — refers to small parasitic insects, specifically lice.

Louse — refers to small parasitic insects, specifically

Usage highlights

Louse insectHead louseBody lousePubic louseLouse infestationLouse egg

Synonyms

  • 虱— louse (more common character for lice)
  • 蚤— flea (different but related parasitic insect)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The clothing was infested with lice (蠦虫).
  • Head lice (头蠦) are common in schoolchildren.
  • Body lice (体蠦) can transmit diseases.
  • Pubic lice (阴蠦) are a type of sexually transmitted infection.

Collocations

  • Louse insect(蠦虫)
  • Head louse(头蠦)
  • Body louse(体蠦)
  • Pubic louse(阴蠦)
  • Louse infestation(蠦患)
  • Louse egg(蠦卵)

Idioms

  • To nitpick(吹毛求蠦)
  • As numerous as lice(多如牛蠦)
  • Lice on a bald head — obvious to all(秃头上的蠦子 — 明摆着)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Historically associated with poverty and poor hygiene in Chinese culture.
  • Used metaphorically to describe trivial annoyances or insignificant problems.
  • Considered an unlucky and unclean creature in traditional belief systems.

FAQ