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鸟类 (niǎo lèi) — birds (as a taxonomic class or category); avian species

Definition

noun
birds (as a taxonomic class or category)avian species

Examples

  • 鸟类。
    niǎo lèi De yǔ máo yán sè fēi cháng fēng fù.
    The feather colors of birds are very diverse.
  • 鸟类。
    Zhè zhǒng niǎo lèi zài dōng tiān huì fēi dào nán fāng guò dōng.
    This type of bird flies south for the winter.
  • 鸟类。
    Bǎo hù niǎo lèi de qī xī dì fēi cháng zhòng yào.
    Protecting the habitats of birds is very important.

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.

鸟niǎobird
类lèicategory

'鸟' and '类' form the category of birds.

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 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 →

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 類; 类 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
犬犬quǎn
Sound part声符shēngfú
頪
頪lèi類lèi
Same sound today

The traditional form 類 pairs 犬, which relates to the meaning, with 頪, which gives the sound. The simplified 类 is a shorthand, and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 类 →
Appears in
Birds

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