How to Write 螵 (piāo) — Meaning “egg case (of a mantis)”

Picture a mantis laying its egg case on a ticket (票 sounds like "ticket"). The insect radical 虫 reminds you it is a product of an insect. This visual trick links the sound and the meaning together.

螵 has 17 strokes: the left radical 虫 uses 6 strokes, and the right part 票 uses 11 strokes. On the right, write the 目 (eye) component narrow, then the 示 below with two horizontal strokes, making sure the final dot is placed correctly. A common mistake is making the 票 part too wide or confusing the strokes in 示.

螵 specifically means the egg case of a mantis, while 蝌 (kē) is used in 蝌蚪 (tadpole) and 蝎 (xiē) means scorpion. Visually, 螵 has 票 on the right, 蝌 has 禾, and 蝎 has 曷. Their pronunciations and meanings are completely different.

螵 is rarely used alone; it appears in terms like 桑螵蛸 (sāng piāo shāo), which refers to mantis egg cases used in traditional Chinese medicine. You might also encounter it in biological or zoological texts. It is not part of everyday vocabulary and is not included in the HSK list.

Common words containing 螵 include: 桑螵蛸 (sāng piāo shāo) — Mantis egg case (used in Chinese medicine); 螵蛸 (piāo shāo) — mantis egg case (ootheca); 虫螵 (chóng piāo) — Mantis egg case.