蛊 meaning and stroke order
Poison, venom; to bewitch, to harm
How to write 蛊, stroke by stroke
11 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 蛊
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- arch. legendary venomous insect
- to poison
- to bewitch
- to drive to insanity
- to harm by witchcraft
- intestinal parasite
How 蛊 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Insect.
虫 gives the meaning and 皿 hints at the sound.
Radical: 虫 (insect), shared by 197 characters on this site.
How to remember 蛊
Picture an insect 虫 (chóng) sitting on top of a dish 皿 (mǐn). A bug kept in a bowl suggests something venomous used to poison or bewitch people.
蛊 (gǔ) is rare on its own today and mostly appears in the word 蛊惑 (gǔhuò), meaning to entice or lead someone astray. It also shows up in stories about witchcraft and folk legends. Example: 他被谣言蛊惑了。(Tā bèi yáoyán gǔhuò le.) He was misled by rumors.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes swap the top and bottom, or confuse 皿 with 血 (xuè, blood), which has an extra stroke on top. Also remember the tone is third tone gǔ, not gū or gù.
Common words with 蛊
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 蛊惑 | gǔhuò | to entice; to lead astray |
Questions about 蛊
How many strokes are in 蛊?
蛊 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 蛊 mean?
蛊 (gǔ) means poison, venom; to bewitch, to harm. A common word with it is 蛊惑 (gǔhuò), meaning "to entice; to lead astray".
How do you pronounce 蛊?
蛊 is pronounced gǔ, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 蛊?
The radical of 蛊 is 虫, which carries the idea of "insect". Dictionaries list 蛊 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 蛊?
The traditional form of 蛊 is 蠱. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 蛊 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
What does 蛊惑人心 mean?
蛊惑人心 (gǔhuò rénxīn) means to stir up or mislead public feeling, often with false claims. It is a fixed expression with a negative tone, used for propaganda or rumors.
Is 蛊 used in modern everyday speech?
Not much by itself. You will meet it in 蛊惑, in fantasy novels and dramas about poison magic, and in some older medical texts referring to intestinal parasites.