How to Write 蜉 (fú) — Meaning “Mayfly”

Imagine a mayfly (蜉) floating (孚 sounds like "float") in the air for just one day. The insect radical 虫 on the left reminds you it is a bug, and the right part 孚 helps you recall the sound and the short life.

Write the left radical 虫 with narrow proportions: start with a vertical stroke, then a horizontal fold, a horizontal, another vertical, a dot, and a lift. The right part 孚 has a claw-like top (爫) and a 子 (child) below; make sure the top is not too wide and the bottom vertical hook is straight.

All three have the insect radical 虫, but their right parts differ. 蜉 has 孚 (top claw + 子), 蚯 has 丘 (hill), and 蚰 has 由 (cause). Their meanings are also different: 蜉 means mayfly, 蚯 means earthworm, and 蚰 means centipede.

蜉 is not common in daily speech, but it appears in the word 蜉蝣 (fú yóu), meaning mayfly, and in literary or scientific contexts. It also symbolizes something very short-lived, like in the phrase "蜉蝣一生" (a life as brief as a mayfly), often used in poetry.

Common words containing 蜉 include: 蜉蝣 (fú yóu) — Mayfly; 蜉蝣生物 (fú yóu shēng wù) — Ephemeral organisms; 蜉蝣羽 (fú yóu yǔ) — Mayfly wings.