Idioms and allusions related to insects

1. Headless fly

Describes being unable to find a goal in doing things and hitting walls everywhere.

Flies are Diptera insects. The most common one in my country and most closely related to humans is the house fly (Musca domestica vicina Macquart), which is a subspecies of house fly distributed in my country.

2. Ants on the hot pot

Describe the appearance of being restless.

3. Silent as a cicada

As silent as a cicada in late autumn. Metaphor dare not speak. Silence: shut up, keep silent. If: as if. Chilling cicada: Cicadas in late autumn usually no longer chirp.

Cicada, commonly known as cicada, is the musician of nature. In summer and autumn, when you walk into the woods, you will hear the pleasant chirping of cicadas: "Cicada, cicada". The cicada's chirping sound is made neither with its mouth nor its throat, but with a pair of cymbal-like "instruments" in the abdomen behind its wings. The cicada's chirping is its courtship method and signals that it is about to hold a "wedding". All male cicadas can sing, while female cicadas are "dumb", but female cicadas have special ears (hearers) to listen to the sounds of male cicadas. Cicadas live in trees. They have a long needle-like mouth (sucking mouthparts) that can be inserted into branches to suck out sap. Moreover, female cicadas also scratch the bark of trees and damage trees when laying eggs. The eggs hatch into larvae, which fall to the ground, burrow into the soil, and live for several years by eating the tender roots of trees. There is a kind of seventeen-year cicada, which as the name suggests, lives for 17 years. When spring warms and flowers bloom, the cicada larvae climb up the tree trunks and shed their shells. Gradually they mature into adult cicadas and climb to the treetops. In summer, people can often see puffs of waxy dead branches appearing on the crowns of green trees such as willow, poplar, and elm. This is what cicadas do. So cicadas are pests of trees. But cicadas are also famous ornamental insects, and cicada sloughs are useful in traditional Chinese medicine.

[Idiom story]

During the Eastern Han Dynasty, there was a man named Du Mi who showed unique talents when he was young. He once served as Taishan Taishou, Beihai Prime Minister, Shangshu Ling, Henan Yin, Taipu and other official positions. He is a steady and simple man with outstanding talents. He is an upright official, strict in enforcing the law, and knows people well. After Du Mi resigned and returned to his hometown, he still paid close attention to political affairs. He often met with county chiefs and magistrates to discuss world affairs. He often recommends good people and good deeds to the prefect, and criticizes and exposes bad people and bad deeds. At that time, there was an official named Liu Sheng who was a close friend of Du Mi's hometown. He was the governor of Shu County and later resigned and returned to his hometown. Liu Sheng's behavior was exactly the opposite of Du Mi's. He was famous for his integrity, thanked guests behind closed doors, did not care about political affairs, and was completely indifferent to good and bad people.

Once, the prefect Wang Yu praised Liu Sheng to Du Mi as a noble man. Du Mi said: "Liu Sheng is a doctor. A person with a high status like him, who is treated as a distinguished guest, should do more good things for the country and the people, but he dare not recommend good people, and he hesitates when he hears bad people do bad things." Silence is like a cicada in cold weather. He is silent. He only cares about his own safety, but is irresponsible to the country. Such a person is actually a sinner, what is there to praise?" Du Mi He also said: "When I find good people, I will recommend them to you, and when I find bad people, I will expose them to you, so that you can punish clearly, promote good and eliminate evil. Isn't this also doing your best for the country!" After hearing these words, Wang Yu said, I admire him very much and will treat Du Mi even more favorably in the future.

4. The mantis stalks the cicada, but the oriole follows behind.

The mantis is about to catch the cicada, but it doesn't know that the oriole is behind it and wants to eat it. It is a metaphor that it only sees the profit in front and does not know that the harm is behind. This sentence comes from Volume 10 of "Han Shi Wai Zhuan": "The mantis was about to eat the cicada, but it didn't know that the oriole was behind it, so it raised its neck to peck and eat it." There is also this story in "Shuo Yuan": "The cicada sits high up and screams sadly to drink the dew, but it doesn't know that the mantis is behind it. The mantis bends over to get the cicada, but it doesn't know that the oriole is beside it. The oriole stretches its neck to peck the mantis but doesn't know about the projectiles. Under it. These three are all seeking to gain their own advantages without caring about the troubles that may follow." This fable originated in the 7th century AD (Spring and Autumn Period). In order to expand his territory, King Wu wanted to send troops to attack Chu. , some ministers did not dare to express their dissent and made it up. After hearing this, King Wu suddenly realized that he was right and made sense. From then on, King Wu never mentioned the attack on Chu again.

The mantis is an order in the class Insecta. It lives by preying on other insects. Its front legs are very developed and become a powerful tool for catching insects. For more information about praying mantises, see the articles "Diversity of Insects - Mantis Order" and "Mantises Use Their Arms as Cars".

5. Trapped in a cocoon

Silkworms spin silk into cocoons and wrap themselves in them. It is a metaphor that people do things originally hoping to benefit themselves, but in the end they get themselves into trouble. It also metaphorically binds one's own hands and feet. Bai Juyi of the Tang Dynasty said: "Whoever rescues the candle moth, the silkworm cocoon will entangle itself." Shi Daoyuan of the Song Dynasty said: "Sravakas, law enforcement and sitting meditation are like silk threads that bind themselves." Guo Moruo's "Persian Poet Omo Gayamo": "Thinkers throughout the ages have tied themselves in cocoons, and there are countless people who eventually went crazy."

Silkworms belong to the Lepidoptera family and are gentle in nature. Their larvae feed on mulberry leaves. When they mature into pupae, they are covered in silver and look so white and lovely. Although the silkworm moth has wings and is no longer good at flying, it often dances during courtship and marriage. No wonder people call it "Silkworm Girl". Can'er's "cocooning itself" is not asking for trouble, but to protect the defenseless "baby chrysalis" from safely passing through the last resting stage in its life. Please see the section on "Sericulture and the Development of the Silk Industry".

6. Spring silkworms will not run out of silk until they die.

Because silkworms only eat mulberry leaves throughout their lives, but spin out all their soft, smooth, and white silk when they grow old, the poem "The spring silkworm will not run out of silk until it dies" is used to praise those people who are dedicated. This sentence comes from a famous poem by Li Shangyin of the Tang Dynasty: "The spring silkworms will not be exhausted until they die, and the candles will not dry until they turn to ashes."

Silkworm moths belong to the order Lepidoptera, family Silkmothidae, and have a gentle temperament. Silkworms need to change their clothes four times when they are young. When they are young and mature, they will stop eating and seem to be sleeping, which is called the "silkworm sleep period". Soon after, all the residues and waste fluids in the body are exhausted, and they begin to spit out pure white silk, which is then woven into silkworms. Silk cocoons. After the silkworm larva spins out all the silk in the cocoon, it stays for a few days before shedding its old, wrinkled skin and turning into a round, fat, yellow-brown pupa. People call it a "baby chrysalis." Soon it transformed into a silk moth with wings, broke out of its silk cocoon, and gained freedom. Since they have been domesticated from the wild, their real name is now the Bombyx moth.

Everyone knows that silkworms spin silk and spin cocoons, but how silk is made is not necessarily completely clear. It turns out that the body of silkworm larvae has a complete and complex silk-making system called silk glands. The silk glands are connected to the silk-spinning bubble called the extruder under the head. These two basic components form a "natural textile machine." In the body of a mature larva, there are silk glands composed of two rows of cells. It is five times longer than the body and is connected to the bag-like sac that stores silk fluid. The extruder on the head is connected to the surrounding muscles. When the silkworm spins silk, the muscles on the head keep expanding and contracting to squeeze out the silk liquid in the silk glands. When the silk liquid comes into contact with the air, it forms fine threads. Long silk.

When a silkworm spins silk and spins a cocoon, its head is always raised and sometimes lowered, and it keeps swinging from side to side. If you observe carefully with a magnifying glass, you will see that the silk used by silkworms to make cocoons is a neatly arranged "8"-shaped silk circle. Every 20 or so silk circles are called a silk row. When one end of the cocoon is weaved, it will make a 1800-turn and start weaving the other end of the cocoon. Therefore, the cocoons of silkworms are slightly thicker at both ends and slightly thinner in the middle, much like a peanut. Each time a silkworm spins a cocoon, it needs to change its position 250 to 500 times and weave about 60,000 "8"-shaped silk girdle, each silk girdle is about 0.72 cm long. This is how silkworms keep weaving and weaving. After completely extracting all the silk from their bodies, they turn into pupae and transform into silkworms. They are inoculated and passed down from generation to generation, benefiting mankind from generation to generation.

7. The golden cicada sheds its shell

Cicada is the name of an insect. When a cicada turns into an adult, it sheds its larval shell, which is a metaphor for using a trick to escape so that the opponent cannot detect it in time.

Cicadas belong to the order Homoptera, family Cicadae, and are commonly known as "cicadas". There are more than 3,000 known species in the world, and as many as 120 species are known in my country. Common cicadas include: cricket cicada, grasshopper cicada, chilling cicada, singing cicada, red cicada (the medicinal Chinese name is Hong Niangzi), etc. Insects with incomplete metamorphosis.

Cicada nymphs live underground. When they are mature, they use their front legs to open a passage and rise to the ground. In the evening, they drill out of the hole and climb onto plant stems, fences, walls or stones. They use their six legs to hold on and stay still. In about half an hour, a slit opens on the back of the chest. Relying on the surge of blood in the body and the contraction of muscles, it breaks out of the old nymphal shell and turns into an adult with transparent wings - a cicada. This process is called "Golden Cicada Escapes".

The newly shelled cicada has a white and tender body with curled wings. After about an hour, it gradually changes from white to yellow, and then further to dark brown. However, the front and rear wings always remain white and shiny, with only slender black wing veins embellishment. Among them, it appears more refined. People often refer to handicrafts that are exquisitely made and thin and transparent as "cicada wings with little merit".

The lifespan of cicada adults is not long, usually about 20 days, and the male dies shortly after mating. The female also continues to feed and supplement nutrients so that the eggs in her ovaries can develop and take shape. She then selects a suitable branch of a tree to lay the eggs. After completing the important task of breeding offspring, she dies calmly.

People may ask, why can we hear the chirping of cicadas from early summer to early autumn? This is because different types of cicadas (even the same type of cicada) emerge at very irregular times.

Cicadas belong to the family Cicadae of the order Homoptera, and are commonly known as “cicadas”.

8. The mantis acts as a chariot

The mantis arms are the front legs of the mantis. "Zhuangzi·Humanshijian": "You don't know that the mantis has scales? He is so angry that he uses his arms to make ruts, but you don't know that he is incompetent!" It means that the mantis raises his arms to resist the wheel, but he doesn't know that he is incompetent. Later, he used the metaphor of "mantis' arm as a cart" to describe overestimation of one's own capabilities.

The mantis belongs to the order Mantis. There are more than 1,500 known species in the world, mainly distributed in tropical areas, and about 100 species are known in my country. It is a terrestrial predatory insect with incomplete metamorphosis. Due to the special structure of the front legs of mantises, there are many related descriptions. Because it often raises its front legs to block the way, it is also known as Dang Lang, Dang Lun, etc. And because it touches the ground with its middle and hind feet when walking, and walks slowly with its head held high, it is similar to a horse, so it is called "Pegasus". Li Shizhen said: "The mantis has its head stretched out and its arms raised, its neck is shaped and its belly is big, its hands are four-legged, it is good and quick, it replaces its nose with whiskers, and it likes to eat human hair." And because it raises its front legs as if praying, some people believe that mantises have the ability to predict the future. Some people say that it looks like it is "begging" for food. Although the mantis arm cannot be used as a cart, its thick forearms with sharp teeth and sensitive movements can not only catch cicadas, but even large locusts that can fly and jump well cannot escape its attack.

9. Self-rescue by amputating limbs

This is a metaphor for escaping the danger of an enemy by cutting off his limbs to save his life. This phenomenon is relatively common among insects of the order Diptera. The legs of the large stripe are thin and long, which are very eye-catching. They can easily fall off after being caught or touched. However, the insect itself will not be harmed, but it can take the opportunity to escape.

Mosquitoes belong to the order Diptera, family Culicidae, and can only be regarded as distant sisters with mosquitoes that carry blood-sucking diseases.

The larvae of giant mosquitoes usually live in moist soil and usually feed on decaying matter in the soil. Some species also harm the roots of plants and become a pest to rice. Therefore, it is common to see adult mosquitoes in rice bushes grabbing the leaves with their front legs, and hanging straight with the two pairs of legs behind them, as if they are swinging on a swing. If you don't touch it, it will look like a withered insect corpse. It turns out that it is pretending to be dead to confuse the enemy.

This deceptive trick of the giant mosquito cannot deceive the sharpness of the "insect catching expert" frog.Good for eyes. When the frog saw the hanging mosquito, it jumped up suddenly, opened its mouth and stretched out its long tongue to catch the mosquito. I wanted to enjoy a delicious meal, but what I found in my mouth was just a thin thigh. It turns out that the giant mosquito was suddenly attacked, so it cut off its limbs to save itself and escaped.

There are many species of insects that can develop a type of resistance behavior to adverse environments. People have discovered that the tarsus on the feet of mosquitoes, flies, butterflies and moths are insecticides D. D. The parts where T can easily pass through will fall off on their own after a period of time after contact, saving you from death. In biology, this phenomenon is called "remnant self-defense."

10. The earthworm shakes the tree

蚍蜉: Big ant. Isn't it ridiculous that a tiny ant wants to shake a towering tree? This idiom means that one's power is very small, but one tries to shake something powerful, and one does not overestimate one's own capabilities. Han Yu's poem of the Tang Dynasty: "It's ridiculous that the crickets shake the big tree. It's ridiculous.". This idiom has a similar meaning to "a mantis's arms are like a chariot".

Ants belong to the order Hymenoptera, Formicidae, and are a general term for a variety of ants. There are more than 4,600 species recorded in the world. Almost all of them live a social life. It is a holometabolous terrestrial insect.

In the Chinese Idiom Dictionary, it is said that a wormfly is a big ant, but it is impossible to verify what kind of ant it refers to. Some ants are indeed ferocious. Although they cannot shake big trees, because they are good at eating carnivores, they can not only prey on other insects and small animals, but can even attack large mammals and birds. Worker ants like to move in groups on cloudy days or at night and travel in formations. When encountering small animals, they attack in groups and kill the enemy. They look like a large army fighting, so they are called "legion ants" in Chinese.

There is a kind of ant. Although they cannot pinch the tree, they can bore the tree trunks hollow and make the tree fall down. However, these ants are not black ants, but termites belonging to the order Isoptera.

11. Moths fly into flames

A moth fluttering on the fire is a metaphor for seeking death and self-destruction. It can also be written as "the moth throws itself into the fire", "the moth throws itself into the flame" or "the moth throws itself into the flame". 〈Liang Shu〉 To Gaizhuan>: "Like a moth rushing to the fire, it is not worth burning your body." Mr. Lu Xun described in his article "Autumn Night" that when he faced these little moths throwing themselves at the lights, he aroused a feeling of admiration.

Moths are a large group of insects in the order Lepidoptera, corresponding to butterflies. Its abdomen is short and thick, and its wings are roof-shaped when resting. It is mostly active at night, but it has phototaxis and likes to gather in bright places. Therefore, there is a folk proverb that "a moth flies into the fire and burns itself." People take advantage of this habit by using black light (whose wavelength is more suitable for insect vision) to attract moths, which can be used to hunt pests and collect moth specimens.

[Idiom story]

During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, in the Liang Dynasty of the Southern Dynasty, there was a young talented man named Daosun. He was the grandson of Dr. Jin Ziguanglu, Sanqi Chang's attendant at the time. Daofeng is very smart and hard-working, and he can write poems and compositions since he was a child. Emperor Xiao Yan loved him very much and often took him to Jingkou and climbed to the Beigu Tower to recite poems and compose poems. Once, Xiao Yan, Emperor Wu of Liang Dynasty, admired a poem written by Dao Gai and joked with Dao Gai: "Nanguai, you write so well every time you submit a letter. Maybe your grandson wrote it for you, right?!" After he finished, he laughed loudly and wrote a poem for Daoji. The poem said: "Grind the ink to write, and the pen to fly to write letters. Like a moth rushing to the fire, how can you burn your body?" He must have reached his old age, so he can pretend to be a young man." It means: the inkstone grinds out ink to write, and the brush tip flies to write letters and articles. This brush and inkstone are like moths throwing themselves into fire, and they will not hesitate to destroy their bodies. You are very old, and your article can be written by your grandson.

12. Life and death

It means that you are born in the morning and die in the evening, which means that your life span is very short. The poem goes: "The feathers of mayflies make the clothes beautiful." "Erya Shichong" writes: "The mayflies are like canals."

Are mayflies really so short-lived? In fact, "live and die" is a misunderstanding. In terms of the entire process from larvae to adults, the life of a mayfly is still quite long.

Mayflies belong to the order Ephemeroptera. There are currently about 1,270 species known in the world. In fact, there are far more than just a few. Mayflies are aquatic insects of the original metamorphosis class, which are characterized by a sub-adult stage. When the larvae grow to semi-maturity, they develop well-developed wing buds on the back of the thorax, and then crawl out of the water along the grass stems extending out of the water or the rocks on the shore. At this time, its legs, tail whiskers, and reproductive organs in the body are not yet fully developed, and it is called a subadult. The sub-adults usually crawl out of the water at night and rest for a short time on the grass or rocks by the water. That is, they take off the "coat" of the sub-adults, and then they become short antennae, large compound eyes, and two holes on the chest and back. With large and fragile membranous wings, a slender body, slender feet, and two tail whiskers twice as long as the body trailing at the end of the abdomen, it is an adult with fully mature sexual organs - a mayfly. As long as there are places where sub-adults have stayed, they will leave empty shells like dead mayflies. The real adults have already flown away at dawn. This may be one of the reasons why mayflies are mistakenly believed to live and die. .

The life span of an adult mayfly is indeed much shorter than that of other insects. This may be because its degraded mouthparts cannot feed and a large amount of nutrients in the body are consumed in the process of transforming from a sub-adult to an adult.

13. Cannibalizing whales

Like silkworms eating mulberry leaves slowly, like whales swallowing food. It is a metaphor for occupying and annexing in various ways. Sun Yat-sen's "Declaration of the Revival of China": "The situation of nibbling away and swallowing up whales has already happened one after another, and dividing the beans into pieces is really worrying at the present time."

Silkworms are insects of the family Methidae of the order Lepidoptera, represented by silkworms. Please refer to the articles "Self-tied in a cocoon" and "Spring silkworms will not run out of silk until they die". For details about silkworms, please see the article "Sericulture and the Development of the Silk Industry".

14. swarming in

They swarmed like a swarm of bees. Chapter 12 of "The Appearance of Officialdom" by Li Baojia of the Qing Dynasty: "After waiting for a while, I saw Commander Hu coming in droves with lanterns and torches."

Bees belong to the family Apidae of the order Hymenoptera, represented by Apis cerana and Apis mellifera.

15. A little bit of water from a dragonfly

"Two Poems on Qujiang" by Du Fu of the Tang Dynasty: "Dragonflies fly on the water." It is a metaphor for doing things superficially and not in depth. Chapter 28 of Lao She's "Four Generations Under One Roof": "That bit of regret is like a dragonfly touching water, flying away with a gentle touch."

Dragonflies form a large category of their own in the class Insecta, called Odonata. There are more than 5,000 known species in the world. The dragonfly is a familiar insect to people. Its flight speed still maintains the title of champion among insects; it catches a large number of mosquitoes and flies in flight; its posture of "taking a rest on a fishing rod" and its "flying" water splash Actions leave affection in poetry and painting.

16. Degeneration and metamorphosis

Metamorphosis: refers to an insect changing its original form after shedding its skin. It is a metaphor for a decent person becoming corrupted and becoming bad.

Insects undergo metamorphosis during postembryonic development, which can be divided into two categories: imperfect metamorphosis and complete metamorphosis. Incomplete metamorphosis has three insect states: eggs, larvae (nymphs), and adults. Complete metamorphosis has four stages: egg, larvae, pupa, and adult.

17. Two grasshoppers tied to a thread

It means that two things are connected to each other and cannot be separated. It also means that the fate of the two is closely linked and no one can escape alone. Chapter 4 of "The Legend of Heroes of Sons and Daughters" by Wenkang in the Qing Dynasty: "Because we are two grasshoppers tied by a thread. I can't fly and you can't jump."

Grasshopper is the common name for locust, and in some places it also refers to grasshopper. Locusts and grasshoppers are both insects in the order Orthoptera.

18. Ants chewing bones

In the machinery manufacturing industry, it is an image metaphor of using several small, simple machines and equipment to process large workpieces. Ants are a metaphor for small, simple mechanical equipment, and bones refer to large workpieces.

Ants belong to the family Formicidae of the order Hymenoptera and have many species.

19. As thin as cicada wings

Described as very thin, like cicada wings. Used in ancient times to describe a kind of thin silk.

Cicadas belong to the family Cicadae of the order Homoptera, and are commonly known as “cicadas”.

20. Silkworm head and swallowtail

In calligraphy, it is said that those who draw horizontally and start the pen on the paper stupidly are called "silkworm heads"; those who draw back the pen and draw forward, and lift the pen back to the front, which is divided into forks, are called "swallow tails". This is a habit that people who are not good at learning Yan characters and inscriptions can easily get into.

21. A swarm of bees

It is a metaphor for the large number of people, the noise, and the swarming of people in a chaotic manner.

Bees are insects of the order Hymenoptera, mainly referring to bees and wasps. See the "Swarming" entry.

22. The sound of bees and jackals

Eyes like a bee and voice like a jackal. Describes a ferocious face and a terrifying voice. Bees belong to the order Hymenoptera, which mainly refers to bees and wasps. Their compound eyes are large and spherical. If human eyes look like this, it must be very scary.

[Idiom story]

Legend has it that during the Spring and Autumn Period, the King of Chu was about to make his eldest son, Shang Chen, the crown prince. However, he was undecided for a while, so he approached his son Ling Yin (prime minister) to discuss the matter. The Master said: "Your Majesty, you are still very young, and your love for your son is not yet exclusive. If you establish a prince so early, and then depose him when you love another son in the future, it will easily lead to trouble. Moreover, in the tradition of the Chu Kingdom, it is often the youngest son who truly inherits the throne. Take the appearance of the young master Shang Chen, I think his eyes are as scary as bee eyes, and his voice is as ugly as the roar of a jackal. Yixiang According to Dharma, a person with this appearance is cruel, and if he becomes a prince, he will definitely do unjust things."

After hearing this, the King of Chu disapproved and made the merchant the prince. When the merchant heard that Zishang had said many bad things about him in front of his father, he felt resentful towards Zishang. Once, he took advantage of the opportunity of fighting with other countries to tell the king of Chu that Zishang had been bribed by the enemy. The king of Chu had his son killed without asking the reason.

Later, when King Chu learned the truth, he regretted it. Soon, the King of Chu really started to hate the business ministers as Zi said, and fell in love with his second son Zi Zhi, and wanted to change Zi Zhi to the crown prince. After the merchants knew about this, they conspired with their teacher Pan Chong, led the palace army to surround the palace, forced his father to death, and proclaimed himself king, called King Mu of Chu.

23. A thousand-mile embankment collapses in an ant nest

Thousands of miles long levee breaks due to small ant holes or termite nests. It means that if you don't pay attention to small things, it will lead to big disasters.

Ants belong to the family Formicidae of the order Hymenoptera, and termites form a large group of their own, called the order Isoptera.

24. Small profits

The head of a fly is a metaphor for small things, mostly referring to small words or small financial gains. "Southern History Biography of Prince Yuan Daodu of Hengyang": "Your Highness's family has its own tomb, so why bother to write it carefully and hide it in a scarf box?" SuShi's "Man Ting Fang" poem: "The cochlear horn has a false reputation, and the fly head makes little profit."

Flies are Diptera insects with many species. The most common one in my country and most closely related to humans is the house fly (Musca domestica vicina Macquart), which is a subspecies of house fly or fly distributed in my country.

25. Weapon-related remarks

(1) Anti-aircraft guns are used to kill mosquitoes - overkill and underutilization.

(2) Mortars to kill mosquitoes - making a fuss out of a molehill.

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