DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

蟬

简蝉 · 繁蟬

Mandarin · pinyin chán

cicada

Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

蟬: Look up this written character
蝉: chán · cicada; continuous

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

2 · chan2

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

1character link44same-tone records

Explore word families ↗Compare pronunciations ↗Open character structure ↗

Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.

Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

蟬 · find source passages ↗ · 蝉 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 4 senses · 2 Cantonese readings

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

sim4 · sin4

Cantonese word readings for 蟬. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

character

cicada (Classifier: 隻／只 m c)
(literary) a type of silk as thin as a cicada's wing
(literary) cicada-shaped decoration
(literary) continuously; unendingly

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

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack