雨燕 (yǔ yàn) — swift (bird) | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

swift (bird)

Measure word · 只

雨燕。
Jīn tiān wǒ zài hú biān kàn jiàn le yì zhī yǔ yàn.
Today I saw a swift by the lake.
雨燕，。
yǔ yàn De chì bǎng hěn cháng, fēi xíng sù dù kuài.
Swifts have long wings and fly fast.
雨燕。
Zhè zhǒng yǔ yàn huì zài xià tiān fēi dào běi fāng.
This kind of swift flies north in summer.

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.

雨 and 燕 combine to name a bird compared to a rain-associated swallow.

Characters in this word

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

The shape 雨 is an old picture of a cloud with rain drops falling from it; the top line was added later.

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

燕 comes from a picture of a swallow.