邯かん鄲たん

か

ん

た

ん

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

tree cricket (Oecanthus longicauda)

Refers specifically to the species Oecanthus longicauda, a type of tree cricket found in East Asia. The kanji 邯鄲 are ateji borrowed from the Chinese place name Handan.

夏なつの夜よる、邯かん鄲たんの鳴なき声ごえが聞きこえる。
On summer nights, you can hear the chirping of tree crickets.

Expressions

邯かん鄲たんの歩あゆみlosing one's own way by blindly imitating others; forgetting one's original skill while trying to copy someone else

Kanji

邯place name, tree cricket
鄲place name

Related words

鈴すず虫むし
鈴虫 is a bell cricket (Homoeogryllus japonicus), a different species known for its bell-like song, while 邯鄲 is a tree cricket with a continuous trill.
松まつ虫むし
松虫 is a pine cricket (Xenogryllus marmoratus), another singing insect, but 邯鄲 is specifically Oecanthus longicauda.

Word family

邯かん鄲たん師し
bedroom thief
邯かん鄲たんの夢ゆめ
vain dream of wealth and glory; illusory worldly success

Written forms

邯かん鄲たんUsage83%
Standard kanji spelling for this insect name.
かんたんUsage17%
Kana spelling is common in everyday writing, especially when the kanji are obscure.

Etymology

The kanji 邯鄲 are ateji borrowed from the Chinese place name Handan (邯鄲). The word itself is of Japanese origin, but the exact derivation is uncertain.