[[Characters]] #Characters \ #Natural-World \ #Animals # 蛇 shé snake ## Components [[虫 chóng]] [[虫 (chóng)]] [[它 tā]] ## Meaning Nowadays, the character 蛇 (shé) primarily means "snake." It refers to the reptile known for its elongated, legless body and often associated with various cultural, symbolic, and biological attributes. Additionally, the term “蛇蝎” (shéxiē), meaning "snake and scorpion," is used metaphorically to describe a person who is extremely cruel or malicious. ## History The character “蛇” (shé) is a pictographic character. The original form was “它,” and its primary meaning referred to the animal, snake. In Oracle Bone Script, the character for "snake" had a pointed snake head at the top and a curved snake body below, which was the ancient form of “它.” In Bronze Script, the shape still resembled a snake's head, but the body became thicker. By the Small Seal Script, the character no longer resembled a snake. As “它” was later borrowed to mean "other," the radical “虫” was added to the left side in the Regular Script to specify the meaning related to the animal, snake. Nowadays, the term “蛇蝎” (snake and scorpion) is often used to describe a person with a vicious heart. ## Evolution ### Oracular Script ![[蛇 - ora.svg]] ### Bronze Script ? ### Seal Script ![[蛇 sello.svg]] ### Clerical Script ![[蛇 cle.svg]] ### Regular Script ![[蛇 reg.svg]]