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

The character 鸯 refers specifically to the female mandarin duck, a bird often symbolizing fidelity and marital harmony in classical literature. It is a phono-semantic compound: the semantic radical 鸟 (niǎo, "bird") at the bottom classifies it as an avian species, while the phonetic component 央 (yāng) at the top provides the pronunciation. Its traditional form 鴯 uses the traditional bird radical 鳥. Because of its strong cultural association with lifelong partnership, 鸯 is almost always paired with the character for the male duck to form a compound word representing an inseparable couple or deep romantic attachment.

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