About
The character for "whale", written as "鲸" in its simplified form and "鯨" in traditional form, is a semantic-phonetic compound consisting of the "fish" radical (鱼 or 魚) denoting its category as an aquatic creature, combined with the phonetic component "京" (jīng) indicating its pronunciation. This structure has etymologically tied the character to large marine animals, with the "fish" radical reflecting an earlier classification where whales were perceived as fish. The meaning has consistently referred to whales, and the components have remained unchanged in their functional roles across both writing systems.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
蓝鲸是很大的动物。
我在海洋馆见过鲸鱼。
这头鲸的叫声很特别。
科学家正在研究鲸的行为。
鲸鱼用肺呼吸，不是用鳃。
那片海域是鲸群的迁徙路线。
过度捕鲸曾使许多鲸类濒危。
一头鲸的死亡会形成深海鲸落生态系统。