1.
summer insect; bugs that appear in summer
A general term for insects that are active during the summer months, such as beetles, cicadas, fireflies, and moths.
夏になると夏虫が増える。
Summer insects increase when summer comes.
子供たちは夏虫を捕まえて��んでいる。
The children are catching summer insects to play with.
窓を開けると夏虫が電灯に集まってきて、部屋の中が大変なことになった。
When I opened the window, summer insects gathered around the light, and the room became a mess.
2.
insect drawn to fire; moth drawn to a flame
An insect, typically a moth, that flies toward a light or flame and is burned. Used figuratively to describe someone who rushes headlong into danger or destruction.
夏虫が火に飛び込む。
A moth flies into the flame.
飛んで火に入る夏の虫のようなものだ。
It is like a moth flying into the fire.
彼は夏虫のように危険な投資に手を出してしまった。
Like a moth to a flame, he got involved in a dangerous investment.
A compound of 夏 (summer) and 虫 (insect/bug). The word has both a literal meaning and a figurative one connected to the famous proverb.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 夏虫を捕まえる: catch summer insects
- 飛んで火に入る夏の虫: a moth flying into the flame (proverb)
PROVERB:
The expression 飛んで火に入る夏の虫 (literally "a summer insect that flies into the fire") is a well-known Japanese proverb meaning to rush headlong into one's own destruction. It describes someone who brings disaster upon themselves by being drawn to something dangerous, like a moth to a flame.
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 蛾: moth (the specific insect most associated with being drawn to light)
- 蝉: cicada (the iconic summer insect in Japan)
- 虫: insect; bug (general term)