Usage of the character 蟬

cicada

chányì

蝉翼

[蟬翼]

cicada's wing
fig. diaphanous
delicate texture

Diāo Chán

貂蝉

[貂蟬]

Diaochan (-192), one of the four legendary beauties 四大美女 (sìdàměinü), in fiction a famous beauty at the break-up of Han dynasty, given as concubine to usurping warlord Dong Zhuo 董卓 ( Dǒng Zhuó) to ensure his overthrow by fighting hero Lü Bu 呂布／吕布 ( Lü Bù)

chánlián

蝉联

[蟬聯]

to continue in a post
(to hold a post) several times in succession
(to win a title) in successive years
to stay at number one
to defend a championship

chánmíng

蝉鸣

[蟬鳴]

song of cicadas
chirping of insects

Jīnchán

金蝉

[金蟬]

Golden Cicada

chántuì

蝉蜕

[蟬蛻]

cicada slough
fig. to free oneself
to extricate oneself from

hánchán

寒蝉

[寒蟬]

a cicada in cold weather (used as a metaphor for sb who keeps their thoughts to themself)
Meimuna opalifera, a kind of cicada found in East Asia

chánkē

蝉科

[蟬科]

Cicadidae, homopterous insect family including cicada

chányī

蝉衣

[蟬衣]

cicada slough (used in TCM)

jìnruòhánchán

噤若寒蝉

[噤若寒蟬]

to keep quiet out of fear (idiom)

hánchánxiàoyìng

寒蝉效应

[寒蟬效應]

the chilling effect of a climate of fear in which people are afraid to speak their mind

tánglángbǔchán

螳螂捕蝉

[螳螂捕蟬]

the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind (idiom, from Daoist classic Zhuangzi 莊子／庄子 ( Zhuāngzǐ)); to pursue a narrow gain while neglecting a greater danger

jīnchántuōqiào

金蝉脱壳

[金蟬脫殼]

lit. the cicada sheds its carapace (idiom); fig. to vanish leaving an empty shell
a crafty escape plan

tánglángbǔchán,huángquèzàihòu

螳螂捕蝉，黄雀在后

[螳螂捕蟬，黃雀在後]

the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind (idiom, from Daoist classic Zhuangzi 莊子／庄子 ( Zhuāngzǐ)); to pursue a narrow gain while neglecting a greater danger