DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

蠹蟲

简蠹虫 · 繁蠹蟲

Mandarin · pinyin dù chóng

moth
harmful person
vermin

Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

蠹: dù · moth; insects which eat into cloth
蟲: chóng · worms; insects
虫: chóng · insects, worms; Kangxi radical 142

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

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

4–2 · du4 chong2

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

3character links

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.

蠹蟲 · find source passages ↗ · 蠹虫 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 3 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

dou3 cung4

Cantonese word readings for 蠹蟲. 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.

noun

insect that eats into books, clothing, etc.
(figuratively) bookworm; book lover; bibliophile
(figuratively) bad element

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

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