() — pigeon; dove

Definition

bound form
pigeondove

Examples

  • Tā yǎng le yì zhī bái gē.
    He keeps a white pigeon.
  • Guǎng chǎng shàng yǒu xǔ duō gē zi.
    There are many pigeons on the square.
  • Zài zhèng zhì shàng, tā shì gē pài.
    In politics, he is a dove (a member of the dove faction).

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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 鴿; 鸽 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
niǎobird
Sound part声符shēngfú
鴿
Same sound today

The traditional form 鴿 pairs 鳥, meaning bird, with 合, which gives the sound; the simplified 鸽 is a later shorthand.

Appears in

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