How to Write 蜇 (zhē) — Meaning “To sting”

Imagine a bee stinging a person and the person yelling 'Hey!' — which sounds like 'zhē' (蜇). The top part 虫 looks like a little insect, and the bottom 折 can remind you of 'break' or 'snap' as the stinger breaks the skin. Picture the scene: a bee 虫 on top, causing a quick pain that makes you go 'zeh!'

Write the top 虫 first as a narrow component, then the bottom 折 wider — keep them balanced vertically. Pay attention to the order of 折: left horizontal (横), then vertical (竖) with hook, then top left-to-right strokes. A common mistake is making the 虫 too big or writing the 折 with incorrect hook direction; remember 折 ends with a hook pointing up-left.

蜇 (zhē) means 'to sting' and is used in words like 海蜇 (jellyfish). 蚯 (qiū) is part of 蚯蚓 (earthworm) and has no stinging meaning, while 蚰 (yóu) appears in 蚰蜒 (centipede) but is rare. Visually, 蜇 has 折 under 虫, whereas 蚯 has 丘 (hill) and 蚰 has 由 (from) — so the bottom component is the main clue.

Common words containing 蜇 include: 蜇人 (zhē rén) — To sting people; 被蜇 (bèi zhē) — To be stung; 海蜇 (hǎi zhē) — Jellyfish (edible).