螟蛉

Chinese

		Heliothus armigera
trad. (螟蛉)		螟	蛉
simp. #(螟蛉)		螟	蛉

Etymology

There was a long-held (but incorrect) belief by the Chinese that moth larvae are carried by wasps (蜾蠃) (which are unable to reproduce themselves) to their hives, kept there and raised as if they are the wasps' own offspring.

This has turned out to be a false impression, as the caterpillars are actually taken by the wasps as food for their larvae, but the metaphor of a moth larva or caterpillar for an adopted child has remained.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): mínglíng

  (Zhuyin): ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄌㄧㄥˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): ming⁴ ling⁴
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): bêng-lêng

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)
    • Hanyu Pinyin: mínglíng
    • Zhuyin: ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄌㄧㄥˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: mínglíng
    • Wade–Giles: ming²-ling²
    • Yale: míng-líng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: mingling
    • Palladius: минлин (minlin)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /miŋ³⁵ liŋ³⁵/
    • Homophones:

      [Show/Hide]
      edit edit 名伶 明靈／明灵 螟蛉

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: ming⁴ ling⁴
    • Yale: mìhng lìhng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: ming⁴ ling⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: ming⁴ ling⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /mɪŋ²¹ lɪŋ²¹/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: bêng-lêng
    • Tâi-lô: bîng-lîng
    • Phofsit Daibuun: bengleeng
    • IPA (Xiamen): /biɪŋ²⁴⁻²² liɪŋ²⁴/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /biɪŋ²⁴⁻²² liɪŋ²⁴/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /biɪŋ¹³⁻²² liɪŋ¹³/
    • IPA (Taipei): /biɪŋ²⁴⁻¹¹ liɪŋ²⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /biɪŋ²³⁻³³ liɪŋ²³/

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• Middle Chinese: meng leng

Rime
Character	螟	蛉
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	明 (4)	來 (37)
Final (韻)	青 (125)	青 (125)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open
Division (等)	IV	IV
Fanqie	莫經切	郎丁切
Baxter	meng	leng
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/meŋ/	/leŋ/
Pan Wuyun	/meŋ/	/leŋ/
Shao Rongfen	/mɛŋ/	/lɛŋ/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/mɛjŋ/	/lɛjŋ/
Li Rong	/meŋ/	/leŋ/
Wang Li	/mieŋ/	/lieŋ/
Bernard Karlgren	/mieŋ/	/lieŋ/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	míng	líng
Expected Cantonese Reflex	ming4	ling4

• Old Chinese

  (Zhengzhang): /*meːŋ  reːŋ/

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	螟	蛉
Reading #	1/1	1/1
No.	9201	8291
Phonetic component	冥	令
Rime group	耕	耕
Rime subdivision	0	0
Corresponding MC rime	冥	靈
Old Chinese	/*meːŋ/	/*reːŋ/

Noun

(deprecated template usage) 螟蛉

1. green rice caterpillar (); (in general) caterpillar of many Lepidoptera species, such as the corn earworm or the small white butterfly (which destroy rice and other plants)

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

   • 螟蛉之子殪，而逢蜾蠃。祝之曰：「類我，類我。」久則肖之矣！速哉，七十子之肖仲尼也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     螟蛉之子殪，而逢蜾蠃。祝之曰：「类我，类我。」久则肖之矣！速哉，七十子之肖仲尼也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Yang Xiong, Fa Yan (Exemplary Sayings), 9 CE

     Mínglíng zhī zǐ yì, ér féng guǒluǒ. Zhù zhī yuē: “Lèi wǒ, lèi wǒ.” Jiǔ zé xiào zhī yǐ! Sù zāi, qīshí zǐ zhī xiào Zhòngní yě. [Pinyin]

     The dying moth larva encountered the wasp. The wasp snatched it away saying, “Be like me, be like me.”
     After a while, they were alike. How quickly it is, that the seventy disciples became like Confucius!

2. (literary, figurative) Short for 螟蛉子 (mínglíngzǐ, “adopted son”).

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (螟蛉):

• → Japanese: 螟蛉(めいれい) (meirei)
• → Korean: 명령(螟蛉) (myeongnyeong)
• → Vietnamese: minh linh (螟蛉)

Others:

(deprecated template usage)

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Japanese

Kanji in this term
螟	蛉
めい Hyōgaiji	れい Hyōgaiji
kan'on

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 螟蛉 (MC meng leng).

Noun

螟(めい)蛉(れい) • (meirei) 

1. Synonym of 青虫 (aomushi): any butterfly or moth larvae that are colored green
2. (figurative) Synonym of 養子 (yōshi): an adopted child