蛇 is also the simplified spelling of 虵.
DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT
蛇
Characters in this entry
- 蛇
- shé · snake
Explore the spelling
Mandarin tones
2 · she2
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
Connected dictionary
1character link9same-tone records1source reference
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.
Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 10 senses · 2 Cantonese readings
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
ji4 · se4
Cantonese word readings for 蛇. 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 · Etymology 1
- snake; serpent (Classifier: 條／条 m c; 尾 mn)
- Snake (Chinese zodiac sign)
- illegal immigrant
- (Cantonese) to shirk one's duty; to be lazy on the job
- (Cantonese, poker) straight
- (regional, pathology) herpes zoster; shingles
- a surname
character · Etymology 1
- used in 蛇蛇 (“facile (of words); calmly; leisurely”)
- used in 委蛇 (wēiyí, “winding; meandering; pretending interest and sympathy”)
character · Etymology 2
- (Cantonese) sir (used when addressing policemen or male schoolteachers)
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack