鳖

鱉/鼈

biē

敝 + 鱼

Frequency#3960

Definitions

biē (noun) freshwater soft-shelled turtle

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 鱼 represents the meaning and 敝 represents the sound. Simplified form of 鱉.

Semantic: 鱼 Phonetic: 敝

About

The character "鳖", denoting a soft-shelled turtle, derives from its traditional form "鱉", which combines the semantic component "魚" for fish to indicate an aquatic animal and the component "敝" functioning phonetically while possibly implying the deteriorated look of its shell. In the simplified form "鳖", the "魚" is written as "鱼" with "敝" retained, and the character's meaning has consistently referred to this reptile without substantial change over time.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

河里有一只鳖。

Hé lǐ yǒu yī zhī biē.

There is a soft-shelled turtle in the river.

这只鳖很小。

Zhè zhī biē hěn xiǎo.

This soft-shelled turtle is very small.

他抓住了一只鳖。

Tā zhuā zhù le yī zhī biē.

He caught a soft-shelled turtle.

鳖肉很有营养。

Biē ròu hěn yǒu yíng yǎng.

Turtle meat is very nutritious.

我们在市场买鳖。

Wǒ men zài shì chǎng mǎi biē.

We buy soft-shelled turtles at the market.

这只鳖从水里爬上来。

Zhè zhī biē cóng shuǐ lǐ pá shàng lái.

This soft-shelled turtle climbed up from the water.

鳖的壳是软的吗？

Biē de ké shì ruǎn de ma?

Is the turtle's shell soft?

农民在池塘里养鳖赚钱。

Nóng mín zài chí táng lǐ yǎng biē zhuàn qián.

Farmers raise soft-shelled turtles in ponds to make money.

Related Characters

Component: 敝

Component: 鱼

鳖