蜀
green caterpillar, Szechwan
Readings
On'yomi
- ショク
- ゾク
Kun'yomi
- いもむし
Meaning
蜀 centers on a specific kind of caterpillar and, by extension, the ancient Chinese region of Szechwan, likely named after the silkworm or caterpillar found there.
Most common words using 蜀
- 蜀しょく
Sichuan (province in China)
- 蜀黍もろこし
sorghum (Sorghum bicolor); Indian millet
- 望蜀ぼうしょく
insatiability
- 砂糖蜀黍さとうもろこし
sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor var. saccharatum)
- 蜀江の錦しょっこうのにしき
type of red brocade originally from the ancient Chinese country of Shu and passed on in Japan
- 蜀漢しょっかん
Shu Han (kingdom in China during the Three Kingdoms era; 221-263); Shu
- 蜀錦しょっきん
type of brocade
- 蜀魂しょっこん
lesser cuckoo (Cuculus poliocephalus)
- 蜀鳥しょくちょう
lesser cuckoo (Cuculus poliocephalus)
- 西蛮蜀黍せいばんもろこし
Johnson grass (Sorghum halepense); Johnsongrass; Egyptian millet
- 隴を得て蜀を望むろうをえてしょくをのぞむ
never being satisfied with what one gets, and always wanting more; giving someone an inch and having them take a mile; taking Gansu only to want Sichuan
- 黄蜀葵とろろあおい
sunset hibiscus (Hibiscus manihot)
Study
Etymology
蜀 originally depicted a type of caterpillar or silkworm, with the top ⺫ representing the net-like cocoon and the lower part 虫 indicating an insect. The character later came to refer to the ancient state of Shu (Szechwan), possibly due to the region's association with silk production.
Meaning mnemonic
The top ⺫ looks like a net or cocoon, and the bottom contains 虫 (insect). Picture a green caterpillar wrapped in a silken net, representing both the caterpillar and the silk-producing region of Szechwan.
Reading mnemonic
For ショク, imagine a caterpillar munching on leaves with a soft 'shock' sound as it eats: shock -> ショク, and the caterpillar is shocked by its own appetite.