鸯

鴦

yāng

央 + 鸟

Definitions

yāng used in 鴛鴦|鸳鸯[yuān yāng]

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 鸟 represents the meaning and 央 represents the sound. Simplified form of 鴦.

Semantic: 鸟 Phonetic: 央

About

鸯 designates the female mandarin duck, a bird rich in literary and cultural symbolism. It is a phono-semantic compound: the bird radical 鸟 (niǎo) at the bottom classifies it as avian, and the phonetic 央 (yāng) at the top indicates its pronunciation. The traditional form 鴦 uses the full bird radical 鳥. Since mandarin ducks represent lifelong fidelity and marital harmony, 鸯 almost always appears in tandem with the male duck character to form a word for an inseparable couple or deep romantic bond.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

湖里有鸳鸯。

Hú lǐ yǒu yuānyāng.

There are mandarin ducks in the lake.

鸳鸯很漂亮。

Yuānyāng hěn piàoliang.

Mandarin ducks are very beautiful.

我喜欢看鸳鸯。

Wǒ xǐhuān kàn yuānyāng.

I like to watch mandarin ducks.

池塘中有一对鸳鸯。

Chítáng zhōng yǒu yī duì yuānyāng.

There is a pair of mandarin ducks in the pond.

鸳鸯在水中游泳。

Yuānyāng zài shuǐ zhōng yóuyǒng.

Mandarin ducks are swimming in the water.

人们常把鸳鸯比作夫妻。

Rénmen cháng bǎ yuānyāng bǐ zuò fūqī.

People often compare mandarin ducks to married couples.

在公园里，我们看到了许多鸳鸯。

Zài gōngyuán lǐ, wǒmen kàn dàole xǔduō yuānyāng.

In the park, we saw many mandarin ducks.

传说中，鸳鸯是爱情忠贞的象征。

Chuánshuō zhōng, yuānyāng shì àiqíng zhōngzhēn de xiàngzhēng.

In legends, mandarin ducks are a symbol of faithful love.

Related Characters

Component: 央

Component: 鸟

鸯