蠹
insect that eats into books, clothing etc; moth-eaten; worm-eaten
Closest English meanings
borer·to bore·moth
The Calligrapher — Mǐ Fú 米芾
Song eccentric genius of dynamic, 'flying' running script.
Song calligrapher (1051–1107), master of running script — Song eccentric genius ('crazy Zhang, idiot Mi') whose running script alternates discipline with glee. Song dynasty
Cultural Story
In the Lüshi Chunqiu the sage counsels that a door hinge never rots, hu shu bu du, because constant use keeps the worm out. The du is the borer, the insect that hollows a beam from within, the quiet enemy of every stored thing. The saying turns a timber pest into a lesson about motion and neglect in one breath.
Common words & phrases
- 蠹虫 borer · vermin
- 书蠹 bookworm
- 蠹鱼 silverfish · bookworm
Read the story behind the character
A library keeper finds shudu silverfish curled in the spine of an old journal, and labels the volume as damaged by a du worm. A reader jokes about being a shudai, a bookworm, while the pest control note warns of duyu in the stacks. The character names the creature that eats paper and reputation alike, from shelves to proverbs.
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