Definitions

méi cormorant

Etymology phono-semantic

bird

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

is the simplified version of . It is a phono-semantic compound: the phonetic element means 'eyebrow', and the semantic radical (simplified from ) shows that the character belongs to the category of birds. The traditional form uses the full bird radical , while the simplified adopts the abbreviated , with the eyebrow component unchanged. The character refers to babblers, a family of passerine birds (Timaliidae) that includes the laughingthrush. The choice of is not only phonetic but also descriptive, hinting at the prominent eyebrow-like facial markings of many species in this family.