old name for gecko; house lizard
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesnoun
old name for the gecko or house lizard
archaicAn archaic term now largely replaced by 壁虎 in modern usage. Historically famous for the "守宫砂" (shǒu gōng shā) legend, where a special red mark made from powdered gecko was believed to test female chastity.
Gǔ古
rén人
chēng称
bì壁
hǔ虎
wéi为
shǒu守
gōng宫
。
Ancient people called geckos "shougong."
Qiáng墙
shàng上
pā趴
zhe着
yī一
zhī只
shǒu守
gōng宫
,
zhèng正
zài在
bǔ捕
shí食
wén蚊
chóng虫
。
A gecko was crouching on the wall, catching mosquitoes.
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Shǒu守
gōng宫
shā砂
de的
chuán传
shuō说
yuán源
yú于
Zhōng中
guó国
gǔ古
dài代
de的
zhēn贞
jié洁
guān观
niàn念
。
The legend of the "chastity mark" originated from ancient Chinese concepts of female virtue.