Definitions

yuān firebird (mythology)

Etymology

About

is the simplified form of traditional , a phono-semantic compound denoting a mythical bird often compared to the phoenix in classical Chinese literature. It combines the semantic bird radical (simplified from ) on the right with the phonetic on the left. The character refers to an auspicious legendary bird and is frequently used in literary metaphors to describe noble, virtuous individuals or high-ranking officials of outstanding moral character. The stroke-saving simplification from to preserves the original semantic and phonetic structure.