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雷鸟 (léi niǎo) — ptarmigan (a bird that changes color with seasons, often called white partridge)

Definition

noun
ptarmigan (a bird that changes color with seasons, often called white partridge)
Measure word · 只

Examples

  • ，雷鸟。
    Dōng tiān de shí hou, léi niǎo de yǔ máo huì biàn chéng bái sè.
    In winter, the ptarmigan's feathers turn white.
  • 雷鸟。
    Wǒ men zài ā ěr bēi sī shān shàng kàn dào le yì zhī léi niǎo.
    We saw a ptarmigan on the Alps mountain.
  • 雷鸟。
    léi niǎo Shì yì zhǒng shì yìng hán lěng qì hòu de niǎo lèi.
    The ptarmigan is a bird species adapted to cold climates.

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.

雷léithunder
鸟niǎobird

雷 (thunder) names the bird 鸟, suggesting its association with thunder.

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
雨雨yǔrain
Sound part声符shēngfú
畾
畾léi雷léi
Same sound today

The top 雨 (rain) points to the meaning, and the bottom 畾 gives the sound.

Open 雷 →

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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