A pupa is an insect in the quiet middle stage of its life, after it has been a larva (a caterpillar, a maggot) and before it comes out as an adult. Inside a special cover it changes shape.

A pupa蛹is an insect是昆蟲in the quiet middle stage of its life生命中安靜的中間階段，after it has been a larva在牠還是larva幼蟲（caterpillar毛毛蟲、maggot蛆）之後，and before it comes out as an adult還沒變成成蟲之前。Inside a special cover在一層特殊的外殼裡it changes shape牠會改變形狀。

For many butterflies people also say chrysalis; chrysalis is the butterfly/moth case, while pupa is the wider scientific word for that stage in insects generally, including flies and beetles. The usual plural in school science is pupae; pupas is also heard.

For many butterflies對很多蝴蝶來說people also say chrysalis大家也會說chrysalis；chrysalischrysalis is the butterfly/moth case是蝴蝶／蛾專用的說法，while pupa而pupais the wider scientific word for that stage in insects generally則是泛指所有昆蟲這個階段的科學通稱，including flies and beetles包括蒼蠅和甲蟲。The usual plural in school science學校科學課常用的複數是pupae是pupae；pupas也有人說pupasis also heard。

English took the word from New Latin, from Latin pūpa, 'little girl' or 'doll' — the resting insect looked, to the namers, like a tiny wrapped figure.

English英文took the word from New Latin這個字是從新拉丁文借來的，from Latin pūpa源自拉丁文pūpa，意思是'little girl' or 'doll'「小女孩」或「玩偶」——the resting insect在命名的人眼裡looked, to the namers, like a tiny wrapped figure這個靜止的昆蟲就像個包起來的小人偶。

Though actually, the insect is not sleeping in a simple way; a huge rebuilding is going on inside. Students sometimes call every caterpillar a pupa, but the crawling eating stage is the larva; the pupa is the still, covered stage that follows.

Though actually不過事實上，the insect is not sleeping in a simple way這隻昆蟲不是單純在睡覺；a huge rebuilding is going on inside裡面正在進行一場大規模的重建。Students有時候學生sometimes call every caterpillar a pupa會把每隻毛毛蟲都叫做pupa，but但是the crawling eating stage is the larva會爬會吃的階段是larva；the pupa is the still, covered stage that follows而pupa是接下來那個靜止、被包起來的階段。