About
The character 鲕, traditional form 鮞, is a phono-semantic compound meaning fish roe, caviar, or newly hatched fry. Its semantic radical 鱼 (traditionally 魚) on the left places it within the category of fish and aquatic life. The right component 而 provides the pronunciation "ér". Historically and in modern usage, the character refers specifically to fish eggs or young fish. It also extends metaphorically to geology in the term "鲕状岩" (oolite), a sedimentary rock whose spherical grains resemble clusters of tiny fish eggs.
Etymology Hide
