蟹 xiè crab
crab; brachyura
How to remember 蟹: 解 to explain + 虫 insect = crab. The girl asks Dad to explain why the big insect in the fish tank walks sideways, and he says, very scientific, "Because it is a crab."
Component breakdown
蟹 = 解 to explain + 虫 insect
- 解 to explain
- 角 horn
- 𭷔 knife and ox
- 虫 insect
The girl asks Dad to explain why the big insect in the fish tank walks sideways, and he says, very scientific, "Because it is a crab."
How it is used
- 'Crab' - 螃蟹 (pángxiè) crab, 大闸蟹 (dàzháxiè) hairy/mitten crab (a prized autumn delicacy), 蟹黄 (xièhuáng) crab roe.
- Mostly a food-culture word; 蟹 is the formal single-character form, 螃蟹 the everyday word.