How to Write 蜓 (tíng) — Meaning “dragonfly (component)”

A common mistake is writing the right component 廷 incorrectly, especially the inner part 壬 (rén) which has a short vertical stroke and a horizontal stroke. Remember the stroke order: 虫 (6 strokes) then 廷 (6 strokes). For 廷, start with the left-falling stroke (撇), then the vertical (竖), then the horizontal (横), then the vertical (竖), then the horizontal (横), and finally the bottom horizontal (横). Visualize the dragonfly's body as the vertical stroke and its wings as the horizontal strokes.

蜓 (tíng) is specifically a dragonfly, while 蚊 (wén) means mosquito and 蚋 (ruì) means gnat or midge. All have the 虫 radical, but their phonetic parts differ. For example, 蚊 uses 文 (wén) as phonetic, and 蚋 uses 内 (nèi). Remember that 蜓 always appears with 蜻 (qīng) in the word 蜻蜓, so it's rarely used alone.

蜓 is almost always used in the compound 蜻蜓 (qīng tíng), meaning dragonfly. You might see it in nature documentaries, children's books, or poems. A common idiom is 蜻蜓点水 (qīng tíng diǎn shuǐ), literally 'dragonfly skimming water', used to describe doing something superficially without deep involvement. For example, 'He just skimmed the surface like a dragonfly on water.'

In Chinese culture, the dragonfly symbolizes agility, transformation, and good luck. The character 蜓 has been used since ancient times in classical poetry. For instance, the famous line from the Song dynasty poet Yang Wanli: '小荷才露尖尖角，早有蜻蜓立上头' (A little lotus bud has just shown its tip, a dragonfly has already perched on it). This imagery connects the character to nature and seasonal change.

蜓 primarily combines with 蜻 to form 蜻蜓 (dragonfly). It also appears in the idiom 蜻蜓点水 (dragonfly skimming water) and in names like 玉蜓 (yù tíng), which could be a poetic name for a jade dragonfly or a place name. In modern usage, you might encounter 蜓 in scientific terms like 蜻蜓目 (order Odonata) in biology textbooks.

Common words containing 蜓 include: 蜻蜓 (qīng tíng) — Dragonfly; 蜻蜓点水 (qīng tíng diǎn shuǐ) — Dragonfly skimming the water surface; 玉蜓 (yù tíng) — Jade dragonfly.