松鸡 (sōng jī) — capercaillie; grouse (type of bird)

Definition

noun
capercailliegrouse (type of bird)
Measure word · 只

Examples

  • 松鸡。
    Sēn lín lǐ yǒu yì qún sōng jī zài mì shí.
    There is a flock of capercaillies foraging in the forest.
  • 松鸡。
    Zhè zhǒng sōng jī de yǔ máo yán sè fēi cháng xiān yàn.
    The feathers of this kind of grouse are very bright.
  • 松鸡。
    Liè rén zài zhè piàn qū yù fā xiàn le dà liàng sōng jī.
    Hunters discovered large numbers of capercaillie in this area.

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.

松sōngpine
鸡jībird

松 refers to pine and 鸡 to bird, naming a bird associated with pine woods.

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
木木mùwood
Sound part声符shēngfú
公
公gōng松sōng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

松 uses 木 (wood) to show it is a tree, and 公 to give the sound.

Open 松 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 雞; 鸡 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
隹隹zhuīshort-tailed bird
Sound part声符shēngfú
奚
奚xī雞jī
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 雞 pairs 奚, which gives the sound, with 隹, a short-tailed bird. The simplified 鸡 is a later shorthand, and its right side is not the historical 奚.

Open 鸡 →

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