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螟蛉

Mandarin · pinyin míng líng

green rice caterpillar or similar insect larva
adopted son (Etymology: Wasps of a particular species take caterpillars to their nest as food for their offspring, but it was mistakenly believed that the wasps were raising the caterpillars as their own young.)

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Characters in this entry

螟: míng · snout moth's larva
蛉: líng · dragonfly, Libellulidae; lacewing

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Mandarin tones

2–2 · ming2 ling2

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

noun

green rice caterpillar (Naranga aenescens); (in general) caterpillar of many Lepidoptera species, such as the corn earworm or the small white butterfly (which destroy rice and other plants)
(literary, figurative) short for 螟蛉子 (mínglíngzǐ, “adopted son”)

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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