Chinese character 蟺

It has several readings, with no single everyday meaning.

A Han-era Chinese character dictionary, 《说文解字》, records 夗蟺 as a winding creature, with 蟺 as the second character. Later dictionaries carry the character into separate animal names and compounds.

Later dictionaries record several distinct senses: 蟺 can name an earthworm or describe winding; it also appears in eel-related usage, a regional name for a ground-nesting wasp or bee, a cicada-related variant of 蟬, and as a form of 鼉, a large crocodilian-like water animal.

Which meaning fits this phrase?

The surrounding word decides which dictionary sense fits.

In 蜿蟺, 蟺 describes winding or coiling; 蟺蜎 is a literary expression for something deep or recessed. In the classical phrase 蛇蟺之穴, a dictionary gives 蟺 an eel-related sense. These are distinct compound readings, not one general meaning.

When 蟺 appears without its phrase or a pronunciation guide, the intended sense is unclear. Treat it as source-sensitive text and keep the phrase or dictionary context that resolves it.