苍蝇 cāngying housefly
How to remember 苍蝇: 苍 dark blue + 蝇 fly = housefly.
Characters
How it is used
- A housefly - 苍蝇乱飞 (cāngying luàn fēi) flies buzzing everywhere.
- Note the light tone cāngying; measure word 只. A byword for something annoying and unclean.
- In anti-corruption talk, 老虎苍蝇一起打 = go after both 'tigers' (big offenders) and 'flies' (petty ones).