How to Write 蟓 (xiàng) — Meaning “Weevil”

Imagine an elephant (象) walking through a field, accidentally stepping on a bug (虫) and squishing it — the squished bug becomes a weevil. This connects the left side (insect) with the right side (elephant) and the strange pairing recalls the rare character 蟓.

Pay attention to the left-right balance: the left radical 虫 should be narrow and small, while the right side 象 is taller and wider. The stroke order for 象 is particular: start with the top part (⺈), then the mouth (口), then the middle (豕) with a left-falling stroke. Avoid making the 虫 too large or the 象 too compressed.

蟓 (xiàng, weevil) uses the right component 象 for sound, while 蝌 (kē, tadpole) has 科 on the right and means a young frog, and 蝎 (xiē, scorpion) has 曷 on the right and means a venomous arachnid. Visually, 蟓 has a more complex right side with 豕 underneath, whereas 蝌 uses 禾 and 斗, and 蝎 uses 日 and 匃.

蟓 is rare in daily Chinese and is mostly found in scientific or agricultural contexts to refer to weevils, which are plant-eating beetles. It appears in terms like 蟓虫 (weevil) or 象蟓 (a type of weevil), but most Chinese speakers do not use it frequently and might recognize it only in specialized texts.

Common words containing 蟓 include: 蟓虫 (xiàng chóng) — Weevil; 蟓甲 (xiàng jiǎ) — Weevil; 象蟓 (xiàng xiàng) — Weevil.