青蛙

• Pinyin: qīng wā
• Hanzi breakdown: 青 = 生 + 月 (green/blue-green); 蛙 = 虫 + 圭 (frog — insect radical + phonetic component)

Meaning

Frog. A common amphibian found near ponds, rice fields, and wetlands.

Beyond its literal meaning, 青蛙 features in the famous fable 井底之蛙 (the frog at the bottom of a well), symbolising narrow-mindedness or a limited worldview. Frogs are also regarded as ecologically beneficial in agriculture.

Examples

1. 夏夜的稻田里，青蛙的叫声此起彼伏，热闹非凡。 On summer nights in the rice fields, frogs call back and forth nonstop—it’s remarkably lively.
2. 他儿时喜欢去田边捕青蛙，长大后才明白青蛙对农业生态的重要性。 As a child he liked catching frogs by the fields, but as an adult he came to understand how important they are to agricultural ecosystems.
3. 井底之蛙的寓言告诫世人，不要局限于自己狭小的视野。 The fable of the “frog at the bottom of the well” warns people not to confine themselves to a narrow view of the world.

Usage Guide

Context: nature, biology, folklore

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 青蛙是农业益虫的天敌，能有效控制害虫数量，保护庄稼。(Frogs are natural predators of crop-damaging insects, effectively controlling pest populations and protecting crops.)
• 每逢夏雨过后，池塘边的青蛙便开始此起彼伏地鸣叫起来。(After every summer rain, the frogs around the pond begin calling out in relay, one after another.)

Don't Say

• 青蛙是我们养的宠物昆虫 — 青蛙 is an amphibian, not an insect; calling it an 昆虫 is factually incorrect

Origin & History

青 (green/blue) + 蛙 (frog) — the green frog

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal