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遊んでいる。
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)