chóng zi
insect; worm; bug
我讨厌虫子。
wǒ tǎoyàn chóngzi.
I hate bugs.
这里有很多虫子。
zhèlǐ yǒu hěnduō chóngzi.
There are many bugs here.
小心虫子咬你。
xiǎoxīn chóngzi yǎo nǐ.
Be careful, the bugs will bite you.
昆虫 (kūn chóng)
insect
小动物 (xiǎo dòng wù)
small animal
动物 (dòngwù)
animal
植物 (zhíwù)
plant
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The Chinese word 虫子 (chóngzi) for "insect" is a compound of two characters: 虫 (chóng) and 子 (zi). The character 虫 originally meant "worm" or "insect," and it is composed of two parts: 巛 (yù), which depicts a small animal with a long body, and 虫 (chóng), which is a phonetic component. The character 子 (zi) originally meant "child" or "seed," and it is composed of two parts: 孑 (jié), which depicts a person standing with their arms outstretched, and 子 (zi), which is a phonetic component. When combined, the characters 虫 and 子 form the word 虫子 (chóngzi), which refers to small animals with long bodies, such as insects.
