Cicada

Cicada (蝉, chán) is an insect of the order Hemiptera, infraorder Cicadomorpha, known for the loud, distinctive mating call produced by males through specialized tymbal organs on their abdomen. Over 3,000 species exist worldwide, with East Asia hosting a particularly rich diversity including the giant cicada (Cryptotympana atrata) and the evening cicada (Tanna japonensis). Adult cicadas are characterized by prominent compound eyes, two pairs of translucent wings, and a sturdy body typically ranging from 2 to 5 centimeters in length.

Cicadas spend most of their lives underground as nymphs, feeding on root sap over a developmental period that can span from two to seventeen years depending on the species. They emerge en masse in late spring and early summer, molting their exoskeletons to become winged adults. Their emergence is closely synchronized with the solar terms: activity peaks around the Summer Solstice (T-summer-solstice), reaches full vocal volume during Minor Heat (T-minor-heat), and continues into late summer through Major Heat (T-major-heat). The cicada's ephemeral adult stage—typically only four to six weeks—has made it a profound symbol in East Asian culture.

In Chinese literary and artistic tradition, the cicada (蝉, chán) embodies purity, transcendence, and reincarnation. Emerging from the dark earth to shed its shell and take flight, it became a metaphor for spiritual transformation—casting off worldly attachments. Ancient jade carvings of cicadas were placed on the tongues of the deceased during the Han dynasty, symbolizing rebirth. The cicada's song is also one of the defining sounds of summer in Chinese poetry, frequently paired with the swallow (swallow) as complementary seasonal motifs—the cicada's insistent drone and the swallow's swift passage marking the fullness and transience of warm months.

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