螟蛉之子

Chinese

		green rice caterpillar; caterpillar of many species, such as the corn earworm or the small white butterfly	's; him/her/it; this	child; son; (noun suffix) child; son; (noun suffix); small thing; seed; egg; 1st earthly branch; 11 p.m.–1 a.m., midnight
trad. (螟蛉之子)		螟蛉	之	子
simp. #(螟蛉之子)		螟蛉	之	子

Etymology

From the Classic of Poetry, poem 196 (《詩經·小雅·小宛》):

螟蛉有子，蜾蠃負之。
教誨爾子，式穀似之。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]

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螟蛉有子，蜾蠃负之。
教诲尔子，式谷似之。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11^th – 7^th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Mínglíng yǒu zǐ, guǒluǒ fù zhī.
Jiàohuì ěr zǐ, shì gǔ sì zhī. [Pinyin]

The mulberry insect has young ones, And the sphex carries them away.
Teach and train your sons, And they will become good as you are.

See 螟蛉 (mínglíng) for more.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): mínglíngzhīzǐ

  (Zhuyin): ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄌㄧㄥˊ ㄓ ㄗˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): ming⁴ ling⁴ zi¹ zi²

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: mínglíngzhīzǐ
    • Zhuyin: ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄌㄧㄥˊ ㄓ ㄗˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: mínglíngjhihzǐh
    • Wade–Giles: ming²-ling²-chih¹-tzŭ³
    • Yale: míng-líng-jr̄-dž
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: minglingjytzyy
    • Palladius: минлинчжицзы (minlinčžiczy)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /miŋ³⁵ liŋ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ t͡sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: ming⁴ ling⁴ zi¹ zi²
    • Yale: mìhng lìhng jī jí
    • Cantonese Pinyin: ming⁴ ling⁴ dzi¹ dzi²
    • Guangdong Romanization: ming⁴ ling⁴ ji¹ ji²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /mɪŋ²¹ lɪŋ²¹ t͡siː⁵⁵ t͡siː³⁵/

Idiom

螟蛉之子

1. (figurative) adopted son; foster child