Meaning of 蛇
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- snake
- serpent
Measure word: 條|条
- variant of 蛇[she2]
- used in 委蛇[wei1 yi2]
How to use 蛇
蛇 (shé) is the everyday word for snake, and it appears in names of specific snakes like 毒蛇 (dúshé, viper) and 眼镜蛇 (yǎnjìngshé, cobra). It also shows up in common idioms such as 画蛇添足 (huàshé-tiānzú, to ruin something by adding what is unnecessary). Example: 草里有一条蛇。(Cǎo lǐ yǒu yì tiáo shé.) There is a snake in the grass.
蛇 is made of 虫 (insect, small creature) on the left and 它 (tā) on the right. Picture a creeping creature 虫 that you would point at and say "it" 它, a snake slithering by.
Common mistake: Learners often write the right side as 宅 or 它 with extra strokes, or confuse 蛇 with 虾 (xiā, shrimp), which shares the 虫 side. Also remember the tone is rising, shé, not shě or shè.
蛇 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
蛇 shé · snake · 11 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 蛇.
| 画蛇添足 | huàshé-tiānzú | lit. draw legs on a snake (idiom); fig. to ruin the effect by adding sth superfluous; to o |
| 毒蛇 | dúshé | viper |
| 眼镜蛇 | yǎnjìngshé | cobra |
| 蟒蛇 | mǎngshé | python; boa |
| 响尾蛇 | xiǎngwěishé | rattlesnake |
| 打草惊蛇 | dǎcǎojīngshé | lit. beat the grass to scare the snake (idiom); fig. to inadvertently alert an enemy |
| 蛇头 | shétóu | head of a snake; human smuggler |
Questions about 蛇
What does 蛇 mean?
蛇 (shé) means "snake; serpent" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 蛇?
蛇 is made of 1 character: 蛇 (11 strokes). That is 11 strokes in total.
Is 蛇 an HSK word?
Yes. 蛇 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What measure word is used with 蛇?
Use 条 (tiáo), the measure word for long, thin things. For example, 一条蛇 (yì tiáo shé) means one snake.
When is 蛇 pronounced yí?
Only in the rare word 委蛇 (wēiyí), which describes winding or going along with something perfunctorily. In almost every other case, including all the related words here, it is read shé.