How to Write 蛩 (qióng) — Meaning “Cricket”

Imagine a cricket (虫) that is very strong (巩) because it survives the cold winter. The right side 巩 looks like "work" (工) and "every" (凡), so you can think of a cricket working hard every day to chirp.

Write 虫 first with six strokes, then add 巩 on the right. Make sure the 工 in 巩 is horizontal and balanced, and the 凡 part has a hook on the second stroke—do not confuse it with 几. Keep the left side slightly narrower than the right.

All three contain the insect radical 虫, but their right sides differ: 蚊 has 文 (wén, pattern), 蚋 has 内 (nèi, inside), and 蛩 has 巩 (gǒng). 蛩 means cricket, 蚊 means mosquito, and 蚋 means gnat, so each refers to a different type of insect.

蛩 is a literary character rarely used in daily conversation, appearing mostly in poetry or classical texts to describe autumn scenes and cricket chirping. It symbolizes melancholy or the arrival of cold weather, as in the word 寒蛩 (hán qióng, winter cricket) which evokes loneliness.

Common words containing 蛩 include: 蛩鸣 (qióng míng) — Cricket chirping; 寒蛩 (hán qióng) — winter cricket; 蛩声 (qióng shēng) — Sound of crickets.