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蛹 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
蛹yǒngpupa, chrysalisg, 13 strokes, radical 虫, rank #34500, Very Hard
yǒng(yong3) T3
  1. 1pupa, chrysalis
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026

蛹yǒng(yong3)

The character 蛹 (yǒng) refers to the pupal stage of insects, particularly in the life cycle of butterflies and moths. It signifies a transitional phase where an insect undergoes metamorphosis, encapsulated within a protective casing. This term is often used in biological contexts or when discussing life cycles in nature.

Strokes13Radical虫Frequency#34500DifficultyVery Hard
Cultural Note

In Chinese culture, the life cycle of insects, especially butterflies, is often celebrated in art and poetry, symbolizing transformation and renewal. The concept of metamorphosis can resonate with the philosophical ideas of change in Chinese thought.

Memory Tip

Imagine a 'young' butterfly (sounds like 'yǒng') that is still in its cocoon, waiting to emerge. The character 蛹 has the radical 虫, which means 'insect', and the component 用 (yòng), hinting at the function or purpose of this transitional stage.

Meanings of 蛹

yǒng(yong3)
1pupa, chrysalis
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 蛹

蛹Simplified
13Strokes
虫Radical
语素morpheme (morph.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 蛹

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Podcast: 蛹

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AI Study Notes for 蛹

Usage Notes

This term is mostly used in formal contexts related to biology. A common mistake is confusing 蛹 with other similar-sounding characters like 残 (cán), which means 'remnant' or 'leftover'. Remember, 蛹 specifically refers to the pupal stage.

HSK Study Tips

Although 蛹 is not included in the HSK levels, it connects to HSK vocabulary related to nature and life cycles, such as 动物 (dòngwù - animal) and 生命 (shēngmìng - life). Focus on understanding the biological context to enhance retention.

Common Mistakes

Learners often misspell 蛹 as 'yong' without the tone, which alters its meaning. Additionally, they might confuse it with similar characters like 蟲 (chóng), which means 'bug'.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 蛹

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Etymology of 蛹

Formation Typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Explanation

Phonosemantic compound. 虫 represents the meaning and 甬 represents the sound.

Memory Hint

insect

Semantic (meaning)虫
+
Phonetic (sound)甬
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters

Jason Etymology Detective

Case file: 蛹

Phonosemantic compound. 虫 represents the meaning and 甬 represents the sound.

  1. 1The meaning half虫 carries the sense.
  2. 2The sound half甬 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
  3. 3The giveawayinsect
  4. 4On the record aspictophonetic.

Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.

Want the full history of 蛹? Jason searches the paleographic record, weighs the competing accounts and judges the popular story.

Charged once for this character — everyone reads it afterwards.
Exercise 1 of 1

Character Formation Type

What type of character formation is 蛹?

Decomposition of 蛹

IDS Structure⿰虫甬
蛹Full Character
=
虫chong2
left
甬tong3
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 蛹?

How to say pupa, chrysalis in Chinese

“pupa, chrysalis” in Chinese is蛹yǒng

The character 蛹 (yǒng) refers to the pupal stage of insects, particularly in the life cycle of butterflies and moths. It signifies a transitional phase where an insect undergoes metamorphosis, encapsulated within a protective casing. This term is often used in biological contexts or when discussing life cycles in nature.

When to use 蛹

This term is mostly used in formal contexts related to biology. A common mistake is confusing 蛹 with other similar-sounding characters like 残 (cán), which means 'remnant' or 'leftover'. Remember, 蛹 specifically refers to the pupal stage.

What learners get wrong

Learners often misspell 蛹 as 'yong' without the tone, which alters its meaning. Additionally, they might confuse it with similar characters like 蟲 (chóng), which means 'bug'.

Write 蛹

蛹

Practice writing 蛹 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

Write correctly 3 times to earn XP

Word Family of 蛹

Words Containing This Character2
蛹yǒngpupa
蚕蛹pupa蠶蛹
Exercise 1 of 2

Compound Meaning

What does 蛹 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 蛹

It is pronounced as 'yǒng' with a third tone.

Jason Recommends

Not sure what to learn after 蛹?

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