鸢 (yuān) — a bird of prey, especially the black kite; hawk
Definition
鸢 (yuān) is a literary/bound form referring to a bird of prey, most often the black kite — you'll see it as a component of words like 鸢尾花 ('iris') and rarely used alone.
bound form
a bird of preyespecially the black kitehawk
Easily confused
Examples
- 鸢。Tā zài hú biān kàn dào yì zhī hēi yuān bǔ yú.He saw a black kite fishing by the lake.
- 鸢。Yuān wěi huā yīn wèi xíng zhuàng xiàng yuān niǎo de wěi ba ér dé míng.The iris flower is named because its shape resembles a kite's tail.
- 鸢。Tā pāi dào le yì zhī hēi yuān zài kōng zhōng pán xuán de zhào piàn.He captured a photo of a black kite circling in the sky.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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 鳶; 鸢 is its simplified writing.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
鳥鳥niǎobird
Sound part声符shēngfú
戈
戈gē鳶yuān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
In the traditional form 鳶, 鳥 shows a bird and 戈 gives the sound; the simplified 鸢 is a later shorthand.
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.