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蜂鸟 (fēng niǎo) — hummingbird

Definition

noun
hummingbird
Measure word · 只

Examples

  • 蜂鸟。
    Huā yuán lǐ yǒu yì zhī fēng niǎo.
    There is a hummingbird in the garden.
  • 蜂鸟。
    fēng niǎo Fēi dé hěn kuài.
    Hummingbirds fly very fast.
  • 蜂鸟。
    Wǒ zuó tiān kàn dào yì zhī fēng niǎo.
    I saw a hummingbird yesterday.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

蜂fēngbee
鸟niǎobird

蜂 (bee) and 鸟 (bird) combine to name a bird like a bee.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
虫虫chónginsect
Sound part声符shēngfú
夆
夆páng蜂fēng
Same sound today

蜂 puts 虫, showing an insect, beside 夆, which gives its sound.

Open 蜂 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 鳥; 鸟 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 鳥 came from a drawing of a bird with a dangling tail; the simplified 鸟 is a later abbreviation.

Open 鸟 →
Appears in
Birds

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