Definitions

guì mandarin fish

Etymology phono-semantic

fish

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

is the character for the mandarin fish, a freshwater species prized in Chinese cuisine. It is a phono-semantic compound: the semantic radical (fish) indicates the category, and the phonetic gives the sound. The traditional form, , uses the unsimplified radical on the left and the same phonetic on the right. The character has a precise biological and culinary reference, exclusively denoting fish of the genus Siniperca, and has never acquired metaphorical or extended meanings.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern