Chinese character 蜝

The compound can name a small crab, a leech, or another creature.

The clearest dictionary reading is “variant of 蜞.” 蟛蜝 and 蟛蜞 name a small crab; older entries also use 雷蜝 for a worm-like creature that curls when touched and 馬蜝 for a large leech. The 2017 National Chinese Dialect Character Table records 蜝 in a Ningbo word for a small crab. On its own, 蜝 leaves the animal unspecified.

Where did 蜝 come from?

Older dictionaries preserve its use in animal names.

A character-variant dictionary notes that 蜞 is absent from Shuowen Jiezi, an early Chinese character dictionary. The Yupian, another character dictionary, glosses 蜝 as 蟛蜝. Later rhyme dictionaries and general dictionaries preserve the small-crab meaning and also record leech uses. Together, these entries trace 蜝 through animal names and compounds.

What does 蜝 mean when someone sends it alone?

Treat it as a word fragment or a request for context.

If the sender meant 蟛蜝, the referent is a small crab; in an older term, the missing character can change the animal. Ask which word or source they mean before translating, since 蜝 alone has no stable reaction meaning.