About
The character 鹧 (zhè), whose traditional form is 鷓, is a phono-semantic compound that names a specific bird. It pairs the phonetic element 庶 (shù), which supplies the sound, with the bird radical 鸟 (niǎo) , 鳥 in the traditional character , to place it in the avian category. It occurs almost solely in the compound 鹧鸪 (zhègū), the Chinese francolin or partridge. In classical Chinese poetry, the call of this bird was frequently used as an evocative symbol of homesickness, melancholy, and the sorrow of travelers far from home.
Etymology Hide
Example Words
Report an issue
Flag incorrect definitions, examples, etymology, etc.