鹏 (péng) — roc (mythical giant bird in Chinese legend)

Definition

Mythical giant bird from Zhuangzi, symbolizing great ambition and far-reaching success. Appears mainly in set phrases like 鹏程万里 and the given name 鹏飞.

noun
roc (mythical giant bird in Chinese legend)

Examples

  • 鹏。
    péng Shì yì zhǒng chuán shuō zhōng de dà niǎo.
    The roc is a giant bird from legend.
  • 鹏,。
    Tā gěi hái zi qǔ míng péng fēi, xī wàng tā qián chéng yuǎn dà.
    He named his child Pengfei, hoping he would have a great future.
  • ,!
    Zhù nǐ péng chéng wàn lǐ, shì yè yǒu chéng!
    Wishing you a bright future and success in your career!

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 鵬; 鹏 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
鳥鳥niǎobird
Sound part声符shēngfú
朋
朋péng鵬péng
Same sound today

The traditional form 鵬 pairs 朋 (sound) with 鳥 (bird); the simplified 鹏 is a later shorthand.

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