noun
Poetic or literary term for butterfly; in everyday language 蝶 (ちょう) is more common.
胡蝶の夢という言葉は荘子に由来する。
The phrase 'butterfly dream' comes from Zhuangzi.
庭に胡蝶がひらりと舞い降りた。
A butterfly fluttered down into the garden.
Standard, everyday word for butterfly. 胡蝶 is a poetic or literary alternative.
From Chinese 胡蝶 (húdié), a classical term for butterfly. The spelling 蝴蝶 is a variant with the insect radical.