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How is Bytecode "parsed"?

It is my understand that Bytecode is a binary, intermediate representation of the syntax of a given programming language. Certain programming languages, most notably Java and Python, convert their programs into Bytecode which is then written to a file(with the extensions *.class and *.pyc respectively). How does the Virtual Machines of those languages "parse" their Bytecode?

To create a more specific question, take Python's Bytecode for instance. When the Python Virtual Machine begins reading Bytecode from a *.pyc file, how does the Virtual Machine translate the stream of bytes it is reading, into specific instructions?

When the Virtual Machine reads bytecode from a file, it is my understanding that the bytecode one long stream of bytes. How then, is the Bytecode broken into useful chunks? So when the Virtual Machine begins reading in the Bytecode from a file, it has to read in one big bytestream from the file. How then, is that bytestream broken into useful pieces? How is it transformed into opcode and arguments to the opcode?

For example, say the Virtual Machine was reading in the bytecode to add two numbers. The Virtal Machine sees the instruction 0x05, which would mean "add two numbers".

Each number could be represented by a different number of bytes, so how would the Virtual Machine know how many bytes it would need to read ahead to gather the arguments for the op 0x05?

How is Bytecode "parsed"?

It is my understand that Bytecode is a binary, intermediate representation of the syntax of a given programming language. Certain programming languages convert their source text into Bytecode which is then written to a file. How does the Virtual Machines of those languages "parse" their Bytecode?

To narrow down this question, take Python's Bytecode for instance. When the Python Virtual Machine begins reading Bytecode from a *.pyc file, how does the Virtual Machine translate the stream of bytes it is reading, into specific instructions?

When the Virtual Machine reads bytecode from a file, it is my understanding that the bytecode one long stream of bytes. How then, is the bytecode broken into useful chunks? How is it transformed into an opcode and the opcodes arguments?

For example, say the Virtual Machine was reading in the bytecode to add two numbers. The Virtal Machine sees the instruction 0x05, which would mean "add two numbers".

Each number could be represented by a different number of bytes, so how would the Virtual Machine know how many bytes it would need to read ahead to gather the arguments for the op 0x05?

How is Bytecode "parsed"?

It is my understand that Bytecode is a binary, intermediate representation of the syntax of a given programming language. Certain programming languages, most notably Java and Python, convert their programs into Bytecode which is then written to a file(with the extensions *.class and *.pyc respectively). How does the Virtual Machines of those languages "parse" their Bytecode?

To create a more specific question, take Python's Bytecode for instance. When the Python Virtual Machine begins reading Bytecode from a *.pyc file, how does the Virtual Machine translate the stream of bytes it is reading, into specific instructions?

When the Virtual Machine reads bytecode from a file, it is my understanding that the bytecode one long stream of bytes. How then, is the Bytecode broken into useful chunks? So when the Virtual Machine begins reading in the Bytecode from a file, it has to read in one big bytestream from the file. How then, is that bytestream broken into useful pieces? How is it transformed into opcode and arguments to the opcode?

How is Bytecode "parsed"?

It is my understand that Bytecode is a binary, intermediate representation of the syntax of a given programming language. Certain programming languages, most notably Java and Python, convert their programs into Bytecode which is then written to a file(with the extensions *.class and *.pyc respectively). How does the Virtual Machines of those languages "parse" their Bytecode?

To create a more specific question, take Python's Bytecode for instance. When the Python Virtual Machine begins reading Bytecode from a *.pyc file, how does the Virtual Machine translate the stream of bytes it is reading, into specific instructions?

When the Virtual Machine reads bytecode from a file, it is my understanding that the bytecode one long stream of bytes. How then, is the Bytecode broken into useful chunks? So when the Virtual Machine begins reading in the Bytecode from a file, it has to read in one big bytestream from the file. How then, is that bytestream broken into useful pieces? How is it transformed into opcode and arguments to the opcode?

For example, say the Virtual Machine was reading in the bytecode to add two numbers. The Virtal Machine sees the instruction 0x05, which would mean "add two numbers".

Each number could be represented by a different number of bytes, so how would the Virtual Machine know how many bytes it would need to read ahead to gather the arguments for the op 0x05?