How to Say "Grasshopper" in Chinese

蚱蜢

zhàměng

The Chinese word for grasshopper is 蚱蜢 (zhàměng). Wiktionary also lists 螞蚱 / 蚂蚱 (màzha).

Meaning: an insect of the suborder Caelifera (noun)

Ways to say it

“grasshopper” in Chinese
Chinese	Romanization (Wiktionary)	Note
蚱蜢	zhàměng
螞蚱 / 蚂蚱	màzha	colloquial

The term refers to an insect of the suborder Caelifera. Note that the character 蝗 (huáng) specifically refers to a locust.

蚱蜢 is the standard term used in biological or formal contexts, whereas 蚂蚱 or 螞蚱 (màzha) is a common colloquial term used in everyday speech.

zhàměng

In some regions of China, grasshoppers are considered a traditional delicacy and are deep-fried as a crunchy street food snack.
The character 蚂 (mǎ) in 蚂蚱 is also the same character used for 'ant' in many contexts, creating a linguistic overlap between jumping insects and crawling ones.
In classical Chinese literature, insects like the grasshopper were often used as poetic metaphors for the fleeting nature of life or the smallness of a person's status.

我喜欢那只蚱蜢发出的声音！
I love the sound this grasshopper makes!
This sentence shows how to use 蚱蜢 when talking about the sound the insect makes.
Tatoeba #10519900 by GlossaMatik, translation #4590799 by LeeSooHa
那只蝗虫吃光了所有的庄稼。
That grasshopper ate up all the crops.
看，那只蚱蜢在草地上跳来跳去。
Look, that grasshopper is hopping around on the grass.
草丛里有一只绿色的蚱蜢。
Cǎocóng lǐ yǒu yì zhī lǜsè de zhàměng.
There is a green grasshopper in the grass.
那只蚱蜢跳得真快。
Nà zhī zhàměng tiào de zhēn kuài.
That grasshopper jumps really fast.

A young man and woman are walking through a park.

晓雯 Xiaowen

俊杰，快看，草丛里有一只蚱蜢！
Jùnjié, kuài kàn, cǎocóng lǐ yǒu yì zhī zhàměng!
Junjie, look quickly, there is a grasshopper in the grass!
俊杰 Junjie

哇，它跳得好远啊。
Wa, tā tiào de hǎo yuǎn a.
Wow, it jumped so far.
晓雯 Xiaowen

这只蚱蜢的颜色很漂亮。
Zhè zhī zhàměng de yánsè hěn piàoliang.
This grasshopper's color is very beautiful.
俊杰 Junjie

确实，它看起来很可爱。
Quèshí, tā kàn qǐlái hěn kě'ài.
Indeed, it looks very cute.

Sources

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