About
From ancient folklore, the mythical bird 鹣 was said to have only one eye and one wing, so it had to join with a mate to fly. The character is a phono-semantic compound: the bird radical 鸟 (niǎo) provides the meaning, while 兼 (jiān) indicates the pronunciation. Its traditional form 鶼 uses the full traditional radical 鳥. Because the bird relies on a partner, 鹣 became a classical literary metaphor for devoted couples, marital harmony, and deep romantic love.
Report an issue
Flag incorrect definitions, examples, etymology, etc.