Disgusting? Yes, but foreign learners of Chinese need to know how to talk about these "creepy crawlies". All four suck blood 吸血 xīxuè / shishiueh and can cause infectious diseases 會帶來傳染病 huì dàilai chuánrǎnbìng / huey day.lai chwanraan binq
Notice pronunciation difference
China: 吸血 = xīxuè / shishiueh
Taiwan: 吸血 = xīxiě / shishiee
[1] leeches 水蛭 shoeijyh / shuǐzhì.
These creatures are also called 螞蟥 mahwang / máhuáng
Don’t be fooled by 水, the first character of their formal name: they live in water and on land. If you go hiking in a humid forest, be sure to periodically check your shoes and pants legs.
[2] fleas 跳蚤 tiaw.tzao / tiàozao
The Chinese version of Frontline Plus (a flea control product for pets) for the Taiwan market is called 蚤不到 zǎobùdào / tzaobuhdaw “[literally] Fleas can’t reach”, a play on words which evokes the similar-sounding phrase 找不到 zhǎobùdào / jaobuhdaw “can’t find it”.
This cute advertisement has a Shiba Inu (柴犬, a spitz breed from Japan) saying 趕快去買『蚤不到』！ Gǎnkuài qù mǎi Zǎobùdào / Gaankuay chiuh mae Tzaobuhdaw“Hurry up and buy Frontline Plus”, followed by a cat saying 跟跳蚤壁蝨說Bye Bye Gēn tiàozǎo bìshī shuō Bye Bye / Gen tiaw.tzao bihshy shuo Bye Bye “Say goodbye to fleas and ticks!”
[3] mosquitoes 蚊子 wentz / wénzi
雌蚊是登革熱、瘧疾、黃熱病、寨卡病毒 (Taiwan: 茲卡病毒)、日本腦炎等其他病原體的中間寄主 [[https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%9A%8A]]
[Pinyin] Cíwén shì dēnggérè, nüèjí, huángrèbìng, zhàikǎ bìngdú (cíkǎ bìngdú), rìběn nǎoyán děng qítā bìngyuántǐ de zhōngjiān jìzhǔ
[GR Tonal Spelling] Tsyrwen shyh denggereh, niuehjyi, hwangrehbinq, zhaykaa binqdwu (tsyrkaa binqdwu), ryhbeen naoyan deeng chyita binqyuantii de jongjian jihjuu
Female mosquitoes are intermediate hosts of pathogens such as dengue fever, malaria, yellow fever, Zika virus, and Japanese encephalitis.
[4] lice 虱子 shytz / shīzi
虱吸血時會向人體內注入唾液以防止血液凝聚，因而使人產生搔癢感. 其若蟲每日吸血1次，成蟲每日吸血數次 [https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-tw/%E8%9D%A8%E6%AF%9B%E7%9B%AE#%E7%96%BE%E7%97%85]
[Pinyin] Shī xīxiě shí huì xiàng réntǐ nèi zhùrù tuòyè yǐ fángzhǐ xiěyè níngjù, yīn'ér shǐ rén chǎnshēng sāoyǎng gǎn. Qí ruòchóng měirì xīxiě yīcì, chéngchóng měi rì xīxiě shùcì
[GR Tonal Spelling] Shy shishiee shyr shianq rentii juhruh tuohyeh yii faangjyy shieeyeh ningjiuh, ineel shyy ren chaansheng sauyeang gaan. Chyi ruohchorng meeiryh shishiee itsyh, cherngchorng meeiryh shishiee shuhtsyh
When lice suck blood, they inject saliva into the body to prevent the blood from coagulating, thus causing and itching sensation. The nymphs suck blood once a day and adults suck blood several times a day.
Phonetic Compounds
This post is part of a series that examines #phonetic compounds 形聲字 xíngshēngzì / shyngshengtzyh (Chinese characters where one part provides a general category of meaning, and the other part provides a #pronunciation clue [sometimes very accurate]).
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Self Introduction: Enthusiastic INTP Polyglot
https://steemit.com/introduceyourself/@wentong-syhhae/enthusiastic-intp-polyglot
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Unless specifically marked, all images are Public Domain (copyright free), but modifications (colors, text etc.) are mine. Most tables (green and yellow columns) are designed by me and are CC--BY-SA @wentong-syhhae