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凤凰 (Fèng huáng) — mythical bird (fenghuang/Chinese phoenix), symbol of good fortune and nobility; (proper noun) Fenghuang (county/ancient town in Hunan)

Definition

Fènghuáng is the Chinese phoenix, a mythical bird symbolizing good fortune and nobility. It is NOT a synonym for the Western phoenix (which rises from ashes) — in Chinese tradition it represents the empress and harmony.

noun
mythical bird (fenghuang/Chinese phoenix), symbol of good fortune and nobility(proper noun) Fenghuang (county/ancient town in Hunan)
Measure word · 只

Examples

  • 凤凰。
    Fèng huáng Shì yì zhǒng xiàng zhēng jí xiáng de shén niǎo.
    The fenghuang is a mythical bird that symbolizes good fortune.
  • 凤凰。
    Hú nán de Fèng huáng gǔ chéng shì wǒ zuì xiǎng qù de dì fāng.
    Fenghuang Ancient Town in Hunan is the place I most want to visit.
  • 凤凰。
    Lóng hé Fèng huáng zài zhōng guó wén huà zhōng dài biǎo gāo guì.
    The dragon and the fenghuang represent nobility in Chinese culture.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

凤fèngmale phoenix
凰huángfemale phoenix

凤 names the male phoenix and 凰 the female; together they form the mythical bird 凤凰.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 鳳; 凤 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 鳳 pictures a bird with a prominent crest and tail feathers, likely a real peacock. The simplified 凤 is a later abbreviation.

Open 凤 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 凰 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9BirdsMythology & Folklore

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