longhorn beetle larva; literary description of a white neck
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesnoun
larva of the longhorn beetle (Cerambycidae); white wood-boring grub
archaicThis term appears in classical Chinese texts, most famously in the Book of Songs (Shijing) in the phrase '领如蝤蛴' (neck like a white larva) to describe a woman's beautiful, white, and full neck. The character 蝤 also has an alternate reading 'yóu' as in 蝤蛑 (a type of crab).
《
Shī诗
jīng经
·
Wèi卫
fēng风
》
zhōng中
miáo描
xiě写
měi美
rén人
de的
bó脖
gěng颈
'
lǐng领
rú如
qiú蝤
qí蛴
'
。
The Book of Songs describes the beauty's neck as 'white as a longhorn beetle larva'.
Zhè这
zhǒng种
qiú蝤
qí蛴
zuān钻
zhù蛀
zài在
xiǔ朽
mù木
zhī之
zhōng中
，
duì对
lín林
mù木
yǒu有
hài害
。
This type of larva bores into rotten wood and is harmful to forest trees.
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Gǔ古
dài代
wén文
rén人
cháng常
yòng用
'
qiú蝤
qí蛴
'
lái来
xíng形
róng容
nǚ女
zǐ子
jié洁
bái白
fēng丰
rùn润
de的
bó脖
gěng颈
。
Ancient literati often used 'qiúqí' to describe a woman's white and plump neck.