Definitions

yāng used in 鴛鴦|鸳鸯[yuān yāng]

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound. Simplified form of .

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character '鸯' occurs almost exclusively within the compound '鸳鸯', designating the female mandarin duck alongside the male '鸳', and its formation joins the phonetic element '央' with the semantic radical '鸟' for bird, a design reflected in the traditional form '鴦' which incorporates the unsimplified bird radical. Initially serving as a precise ornithological term, the combined word '鸳鸯' over time accumulated a layers of cultural meaning, evolving into a standard literary metaphor for devoted married couples, which consequently shifted the character '鸯' from a simple zoological label to an inseparable component of a symbol representing romantic partnership and fidelity.

Etymology Hide

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

Example Sentences Hide

湖里有鸳

Hú lǐ yǒu yuānyāng.

There are mandarin ducks in the lake.

很漂亮。

Yuānyāng hěn piàoliang.

Mandarin ducks are very beautiful.

我喜欢看鸳

Wǒ xǐhuān kàn yuānyāng.

I like to watch mandarin ducks.

池塘中有一对鸳

Chítáng zhōng yǒu yī duì yuānyāng.

There is a pair of mandarin ducks in the pond.

在水中游泳。

Yuānyāng zài shuǐ zhōng yóuyǒng.

Mandarin ducks are swimming in the water.

人们常把鸳比作夫妻。

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

Zài gōngyuán lǐ, wǒmen kàn dàole xǔduō yuānyāng.

In the park, we saw many mandarin ducks.

传说中,鸳是爱情忠贞的象征。

Chuánshuō zhōng, yuānyāng shì àiqíng zhōngzhēn de xiàngzhēng.

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