蠱 (gǔ) - Gu — refers to venomous insects or worms & poison

蠱Tone 3

gǔ ｜ 23 strokes ｜ radical:

枫惠

蠱 · gǔ

Gu — refers to venomous insects or worms;

poison;

sorcery;

bewitchment;

to corrupt;

also used in traditional Chinese medicine and witchcraft contexts.

Gu — refers to venomous insects or wormspoisonsorcery

Usage highlights

Gu poisonBewitch and corruptGu sorceryParasitic diseaseInsect guWitchcraft gu

Synonyms

Antonyms

  • 药— medicine, remedy
  • 解— to detoxify, to relieve
  • 医— to heal, medicine

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • Ancient texts mention gu poison (蛊毒).
  • Some traditional practices involve gu sorcery (蛊术).
  • The character appears in medical texts about parasitic diseases (蛊病).
  • In literature, gu often symbolizes corruption (蛊惑).

Collocations

  • Gu poison(蛊毒)
  • Bewitch and corrupt(蛊惑)
  • Gu sorcery(蛊术)
  • Parasitic disease(蛊病)
  • Insect gu(虫蛊)
  • Witchcraft gu(巫蛊)

Idioms

  • Bewitch and mislead the masses(蛊惑人心)
  • Witchcraft and sorcery case(巫蛊之祸)
  • Drive out the gu poison(驱蛊除毒)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In ancient Chinese belief, gu was created by sealing venomous insects together until one survived, becoming a powerful poison.
  • Gu features prominently in Southern Chinese and minority ethnic folklore, particularly in Yunnan and Guizhou regions.
  • The character appears in historical records about witchcraft cases during the Han dynasty.
  • In traditional Chinese medicine, 'gu' refers to certain parasitic diseases or abdominal masses.

FAQ