How to Write 螫 (shì) — Meaning “To sting”

Imagine a bee stinging you, and you yell 'Sheesh!' in pain. The sound 'shì' matches the pinyin, and the 虫 radical reminds you it's an insect. Picture the top part 赦 as a bee's stinger ready to strike.

Write the top part 赦 first, left to right (赤 then 攵), then add the 虫 radical below. The 赦 part should take up about two-thirds of the character's height, while 虫 stays compact. A common mistake is making 虫 too large — keep it small and centered.

螫 is a verb meaning 'to sting', while 蝌 and 蝎 are nouns for animals. Visually, 螫 has 赦 on top, 蝌 has 科 (kē), and 蝎 has 曷 (hé). Their readings are also different: shì vs. kē vs. xiē.

螫 appears in formal or medical writing about insect stings, like 螫伤 (bee sting injury) or 螫针 (stinger). It is not common in daily conversation but is used in nature and health contexts. In traditional Chinese medicine, bee venom from a 螫 is used in acupuncture therapy.

Common words containing 螫 include: 螫针 (shì zhēn) — Stinger; 螫伤 (shì shāng) — Sting / Sting injury; 螫人 (shì rén) — To sting someone.