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The character 鸲, traditionally written as 鴝, is a phono-semantic compound comprising the semantic radical 鸟 meaning bird and the phonetic component 句, which primarily indicates pronunciation rather than contributing to meaning. This character has historically designated specific bird species, particularly the robin or the Eurasian blackbird, with its usage consistently confined to ornithological references. The phonetic element 句, independent of its meanings such as "hook" or "sentence", serves to approximate the sound of the character, and the compound's structure has maintained this functional distinction throughout its history.
Etymology Hide
