About
鸷 is a phono-semantic compound character. Its lower component 鸟 (a simplified form of 鳥) marks it as a type of bird, while the upper component 执 (simplified from 執) suggests its pronunciation. In traditional script, the character is written as 鷙, with the full forms 鳥 and 執. The character's primary meaning refers to fierce, predatory birds such as eagles, hawks, and falcons that hunt other animals. Beyond this literal sense, it functions metaphorically to describe aggressive, violent, or fiercely determined human behavior, drawing a parallel between such ruthless traits and the relentless hunting nature of raptors.
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