蟷螂
Japanese
Etymology 1
Kanji in this term | |
---|---|
蟷 | 螂 |
Hyōgaiji | Hyōgaiji |
irregular |
Either a compound of 鎌 (kama, “sickle”) + 切り (kiri, “cutting; cutter”, the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “continuative or stem form”) of verb 切る (kiru, “to cut”)), or of 鎌 (kama, “sickle”) + キリ (kiri, onomatopoeia), where the kiri is imitative of the sound made by grasshoppers and katydids, and is found as a common element in the names of several insects of similar size and body shape. Compare 螽斯 (kirigirisu, “grasshopper; katydid”), 笹切 (sasakiri, “bush cricket; katydid”).
Considering the sharp forelegs of the mantis, the first derivation may be more probable.
The kanji are jukujikun (熟字訓), from Chinese 蟷螂/𬠅螂.
Pronunciation
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Alternative forms
Noun
- a mantis (any of various large insects of the order Mantodea)
- (by extension, from the slender build of the insect) a skinny person or horse
- (rare) a fourspine sculpin, a fish of species Cottus kazika
Synonyms
Usage notes
As with many terms that name organisms, this term is often spelled in katakana, especially in biological contexts (where katakana is customary), as カマキリ.
For the fourspine sculpin sense, the more common kanji spellings are 鎌切 and 杜父魚.[1][2]
Etymology 2
Kanji in this term | |
---|---|
蟷 | 螂 |
とう Hyōgaiji |
ろう Hyōgaiji |
on'yomi |
From Middle Chinese 螳螂 (MC dang ljang|lang).
Pronunciation
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Alternative forms
Noun
- a mantis
Derived terms
- 蟷螂が斧を取りて隆車に向かう (tōrō ga ono o torite ryūsha ni mukau): “the mantis takes [up] its hatchets and faces off against a grand chariot” → a metaphor for a futile endeavor; compare English piss in the wind, quixotic
- 蟷螂が斧をもって隆車に向かう (tōrō ga ono o motte ryūsha ni mukau): “the mantis takes [up] its hatchets and faces off against a grand chariot” → a metaphor for a futile endeavor; compare English piss in the wind, quixotic
- 蟷螂の斧 (tōrō no ono): “the mantis's hatchets” → a metaphor for a futile endeavor; compare English piss in the wind, quixotic
References
- Japanese terms spelled with 蟷
- Japanese terms spelled with 螂
- Japanese terms read with irregular kanji readings
- Japanese compound terms
- Japanese terms spelled with jukujikun
- Japanese terms derived from Chinese
- Japanese lemmas
- Japanese nouns
- Japanese terms with multiple readings
- Japanese terms spelled with hyōgaiji kanji
- Japanese terms written with two Han script characters
- Japanese terms with rare senses
- Japanese terms spelled with 蟷 read as とう
- Japanese terms spelled with 螂 read as ろう
- Japanese terms read with on'yomi
- Japanese terms derived from Middle Chinese
- Japanese words with multiple readings
- ja:Insects
- ja:Fish