About
The character 羿 is a phono-semantic compound with 羽 (yǔ, "feathers") as the semantic top component and 廾 (gǒng, "two hands") as the bottom component. Its original structure suggests a person holding an object adorned with feathers, likely related to archery, arrows, or a ceremonial fan. The character primarily functions as a proper noun, most famously as the name of the mythological archer Hou Yi (后羿), who shot down nine of ten suns to save the earth. This association has historically linked 羿 to concepts of supreme archery skill and heroism.
Etymology Hide
