蠱

蠱 (Kangxi radical 142, 虫+17, 23 strokes, cangjie input 中戈中戈廿 (LILIT), four-corner 5010₇, composition ⿱蟲皿)

• KangXi: page 1103, character 12
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 33867
• Dae Jaweon: page 1566, character 23
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 4, page 2906, character 9
• Unihan data for U+8831

Historical forms of the character 蠱
Shang	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)
Oracle bone script	Small seal script

Ideogrammic compound (會意) : 蟲 (“insects”) + 皿 (“container”) – poisonous insects raised in a container.

Unclear (Schuessler, 2007).

“Affair” may be related to 故 (OC *kaːs, “happening; incident”).

蠱

1. (historical) a type of artificially cultivated poisonous insect; the one insect remaining in the vessel where toxic insects are allowed to eat each other

   • 剡縣有一家事蠱，人啖其食飲，無不吐血死。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     剡县有一家事蛊，人啖其食饮，无不吐血死。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Jin dynasty, 陶淵明 (Tao Yuanming), 《搜神後記》

     Shànxiàn yǒu yī jiā shì gǔ, rén dàn qí shíyǐn, wú bù tùxuè sǐ. [Pinyin]

     In Shàn County, there is a family who produces gǔ. When people ate their [the family's] food, all died vomiting blood.

2. ^† insect that grows on rotting grain; pest; vermin

   • 粟米饐熱生蠱。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     粟米𮩞热生蛊。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Wang Chong, Lun Heng (Discussive Weighing), 80 CE

     Sùmǐ yìrè shēng gǔ. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this example)

3. ^† hot, noxious air that harms people; miasma

   • 二年，初伏，以狗禦蠱。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     二年，初伏，以狗御蛊。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Records of the Grand Historian, by Sima Qian, c. 91 BCE

     Èr nián, chūfú, yǐ gǒu yù gǔ. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this example)

4. to entice; to bewitch

   • 孔丘盛容脩飾以蠱世，弦歌鼓舞以聚徒。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     孔丘盛容脩饰以蛊世，弦歌鼓舞以聚徒。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Mozi, c. 4^th century BCE

     Kǒng Qiū shèngróng xiūshì yǐ gǔ shì, xiángē gǔwǔ yǐ jù tú. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this example)

   • 假使小尼姑的臉上不滑膩，阿Q便不至於被蠱，又假使小尼姑的臉上蓋一層布，阿Q便也不至於被蠱了。 [MSC, trad.]
     假使小尼姑的脸上不滑腻，阿Q便不至于被蛊，又假使小尼姑的脸上盖一层布，阿Q便也不至于被蛊了。 [MSC, simp.]

     From: 1921, 魯迅 (Lu Xun), 《阿Q正傳》 (The True Story of Ah Q), translation based on Yang Hsien-yi and Gladys Yang

     Jiǎshǐ xiǎo nígū de liǎnshang bù huánì, Ā-Q biàn bùzhìyú bèi gǔ, yòu jiǎshǐ xiǎo nígū de liǎnshang gài yī céng bù, ā-Q biàn yě bùzhìyú bèi gǔ le. [Pinyin]

     If the little nun's face had not been soft and smooth, Ah Q would not have been bewitched by her; nor would this have happened if the little nun's face had been covered by a cloth.

5. ^† malevolent sorcery, including charms, curses and prayers to evil spirits

   • 秋七月，按道侯韓說、使者江充等掘蠱太子宮。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     秋七月，按道侯韩说、使者江充等掘蛊太子宫。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Book of Han, circa 1^st century CE

     Qiū qīyuè, àndàohóu Hán Yuè, shǐzhě Jiāng Chōng děng jué gǔ tàizǐ gōng. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this example)

6. ^† affair; matter

   • 幹母之蠱，不可貞。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
     干母之蛊，不可贞。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: I Ching, 11^th – 8^th century BCE

     Gàn mǔ zhī gǔ, bùkě zhēn. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this example)

7. 18th hexagram of the I Ching (䷑)

蠱

1. ^† Alternative form of 冶 (yě, “bewitchingly pretty; seductive”).

• “蠱”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎, 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–

(uncommon “Hyōgai” kanji)

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

• On (unclassified): こ (ko), や (ya)
• Kun: そこなう (sokonau), まどわす (madowasu), こびる (kobiru)

蠱 • (go) (hangeul 고, revised go, McCune–Reischauer ko, Yale ko)

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.