U+8821 "蠡" CJK Unified Ideograph-# Unicode Character
U+8821 "蠡" CJK Unified Ideograph-# is a Chinese character with multiple historical and literary meanings, primarily referring to a woodworm or a type of insect that bores into wood, and by extension, it can symbolize trivial or corrupting internal damage, like a worm eating away at something from within. It is also famously used in classical texts such as the Zhuangzi, where it appears in the term "蠡測" (li cè), meaning to measure the sea with a calabash shell, a metaphor for shallow or limited understanding of vast concepts. Additionally, in ancient Chinese shipbuilding, "蠡" denoted a scoop or a small container shaped from a gourd, and it appears in historical names, including the legendary figure "范蠡," a famous strategist and businessman from the Spring and Autumn period. Its pronunciation varies between lǐ and lí depending on context, and it is categorized under the radical 虫 (chóng, meaning insect) with 15 additional strokes.