羽 (yǔ) — (bound form) feather, plume; (bound form) wing

Definition

羽 (yǔ) is the bound root meaning 'feather' or 'wing' — it almost never stands alone, appearing instead in compounds like 羽毛球 (badminton) and 羽绒 (down).

bound form

featherplumewing

Examples

。
Wǒ xǐ huan dǎ yǔ máo qiú.
I like to play badminton.
。
Zhè jiàn yǔ róng fú hěn nuǎn huo.
This down jacket is very warm.
。
Xiǎo niǎo de yǔ máo shì cǎi sè de.
The little bird's feathers are colorful.

Origin

Pictograph

六书liùshū

象形xiàngxíng

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

羽 comes from a picture of wings or feathers.

Appears in

Birds

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