爬蟲 / 爬虫
páchóng
The English word "reptile" is translated into Chinese as 爬蟲 / 爬虫 (páchóng). Wiktionary also lists 爬行類 / 爬行类 (páxínglèi) and 爬蟲類 / 爬虫类 (páchónglèi).
Meaning: a cold-blooded vertebrate (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 爬蟲 / 爬虫 | páchóng |
| 爬行類 / 爬行类 | páxínglèi |
| 爬蟲類 / 爬虫类 | páchónglèi |
The terms refer to a cold-blooded vertebrate.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form 爬行類 uses the verb 爬行 (to crawl/creep) as a modifier for 类 (kind), making it a synonym for the biological class of reptiles.
How do you pronounce it?
páchóng
Did you know?
- In modern Chinese internet slang, 爬虫 (literally 'crawling insect') refers to a 'web crawler' or a bot that automatically indexes website data.
- The term 爬蟲 (páchóng) literally translates to 'climbing insect' or 'creeping insect', despite reptiles being vertebrates.
- In Chinese, the action of 'crawling' (爬) is also the word used for climbing a mountain or a tree, meaning a reptile is literally a 'climbing creature'.
Examples in context
- 爬行动物是我的最爱，特别是蛇。Reptiles are my favorite, especially snakes.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “reptile” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
