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The character "鹜", whose traditional form is "鶩", is etymologically composed of the phonetic component "敄" and the semantic radical "鳥" meaning bird, defining it as a wild duck. Over time, its meaning expanded from denoting a specific aquatic bird to being used figuratively in expressions such as "趋之若鹜" where it implies a rushing or flocking motion. The simplified form "鹜" structurally substitutes the top with "务" as the phonetic element while retaining "鸟" to indicate its association with birds.
Etymology Hide
