How to Write 蝣 (yóu) — Meaning “Mayfly (character component)”

Imagine a mayfly (虫) saying "yo" (yóu) as it dances above a stream for just one day. The right part 斿 looks like a child (子) with a flag (方) — picture the tiny insect playing with a banner during its brief flight.

Start with the left radical 虫 (3 strokes: mouth, vertical, then horizontal dot on bottom). The right side 斿 requires 12 strokes: the top is 方 (4 strokes) with the horizontal stroke extending slightly left before the dot, and the lower part is 子 (3 strokes) but note 子's horizontal stroke crosses the vertical hook. Common mistake: making the right side too wide—keep the whole character balanced within a square.

蛵 (xīng) is rare and may refer to a type of dragonfly; it uses 巠 as the phonetic. 蛸 (shāo or xiāo) means a spider or mantis egg case, with 肖 as the phonetic. Unlike these, 蝣 specifically means mayfly and is almost only used in the word 蜉蝣 (fú yóu). Visually, 蛵 has 巠 (like 经 without 纟) and 蛸 has 肖 (like 小 with 月) — distinct from 蝣's 斿.

蝣 appears almost exclusively in the literary word 蜉蝣 (fú yóu, mayfly), which symbolizes something short-lived or fragile in Chinese culture. For example, the idiom "蜉蝣撼树" (mayfly shaking a tree) describes overestimating one's strength, and the mayfly often appears in poetry to remind people of life's brevity.

Common words containing 蝣 include: 蜉蝣 (fú yóu) — Mayfly; 蜉蝣目 (fú yóu mù) — Ephemeroptera (Mayflies); 小蜉蝣 (xiǎo fú yóu) — Small mayfly.