蛇 - shé - Chinese character definition, English meaning and stroke order

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HSK 3 - Medium
11 strokes
Simplified (switch to Traditional)

蛇

shé

Definition

snake
serpent

Character Decomposition

Related words (43)

蛇头

shé tóu

head of a snake; human smuggler

snake venom

snake skin

flexible hose

snake gall (used in TCM)

tarragon

to creep; to zigzag; to meander; to weave

蛇足

shé zú

(lit.) legs on a snake; sth superfluous

蛇雕

shé diāo

(bird species of China) crested serpent eagle (Spilornis cheela)

snake toxin

salak (Salacca zalacca) (fruit)

serpentine (geology)

serpentine (geology)

ophiolite (geology)

hop (Humulus lupulus), climbing plant whose flower cones are used in brewing beer

蛇绿混杂

shé lǜ hùn zá

ophiolite melange (geology)

蛇绿混杂岩

shé lǜ hùn zá yán

ophiolite (geology)

蛇绿混杂岩带

shé lǜ hùn zá yán dài

ophiolite belt (geology)

illegal immigrant

viper

water snake

water snake; colubrid; racer

(dialect) gecko

boa

venomous snake

forest or meadow viper (Vipera russelii siamensis or similar)

python; boa

(slang) loser (loanword) (Tw)

rattlesnake

lizard; common spoken equivalent of 蜥蜴

地头蛇

dì tóu shé

local bully; tyrant; regional mafia boss

serpens cauda

slender and supple waist; lithe body; feminine pose

白花蛇

bái huā shé

long-nosed pit viper (agkistrodon acutus)

cobra

single-line formation (army); (fig.) long line

adder (zoology)

copperhead race (Elaphe radiata), kind of snake

人头蛇身

rén tóu shé shēn

human head, snake's body; cf Nüwa 女娲氏[Nu:3 wa1 shi4] and Fuxi 伏羲氏 in some versions of mythology

人蛇集团

rén shé jí tuán

human smuggling syndicate; snakehead gang

牛鬼蛇神

niú guǐ shé shén

evil monsters; (fig.) bad characters; (political) bad elements

黑腹蛇鹈

hēi fù shé tí

(bird species of China) oriental darter (Anhinga melanogaster)

矮脚白花蛇利草

ǎi jiǎo bái huā shé lì cǎo

see 白花蛇舌草

Idioms (11)

佛口蛇心

fó kǒu shé xīn

words of a Buddha, heart of a snake (idiom); two-faced; malicious and duplicitous

引蛇出洞

yǐn shé chū dòng

(lit.) to pull a snake from its hole; to expose a malefactor (idiom)

打草惊蛇

dǎ cǎo jīng shé

(lit.) beat the grass to scare the snake; to inadvertently alert an enemy; to punish sb as a warning to others (idiom)

打蛇不死

dǎ shé bù sǐ

beat the snake to death or it will cause endless calamity (idiom); nip the problem in the bud

杯弓蛇影

bēi gōng shé yǐng

(lit.) to see a bow reflected in a cup as a snake (idiom); fig. unnecessary suspicions; overly fearful

画蛇添足

huà shé tiān zú

to overdo it; (lit.) draw legs on a snake (idiom); (fig.) to ruin the effect by adding sth superfluous; adding unnecessary details to something

虎头蛇尾

hǔ tóu shé wěi

(lit.) tiger's head, snake's tail (idiom); fig. a strong start but weak finish

龙头蛇尾

lóng tóu shé wěi

(lit.) dragon's head, snake's tail (idiom); fig. a strong start but weak finish

人心不足蛇吞象

rén xīn bù zú shé tūn xiàng

a man who is never content is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant (idiom)

强龙不压地头蛇

qiáng lóng bù yā dì tóu shé

(lit.) strong dragon cannot repress a snake (idiom); fig. a local gangster who is above the law

一年被蛇咬十年怕井绳

yī nián bèi shé yǎo shí nián pà jǐng shéng

once bitten twice shy; bitten by a snake in one year, fears the well rope for ten years (idiom)

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