bǎn
蝂
see '𮔅蝂' (a mythical, load-carrying insect)
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 2 examplesnoun
see: 𮔅蝂
literaryThis character almost exclusively appears in the compound word '𮔅蝂' (bān bǎn), a mythical insect known for greedily collecting objects until it collapses under their weight. The character alone is very rare and has no independent meaning outside this specific context. It is used as an example of greed and overreaching.
Gǔ古
rén人
cháng常
yǐ以
bān𮔅
bǎn蝂
yù喻
zhǐ指
tān贪
dé得
wú无
yàn厌
zhī之
rén人
。
Ancient people often used '𮔅蝂' as a metaphor for insatiably greedy people.
Qí其
xíng行
wéi为
rú如
bān𮔅
bǎn蝂
，
zhōng终
jiāng将
zì自
lèi累
。
His actions are like the '𮔅蝂' insect; in the end, he will be weighed down by his own burdens.