Definitions
quail
Etymology
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A phono-semantic compound, 鴳 names the quail, a small game bird. It pairs the semantic radical 鳥 (niǎo, 'bird') with the phonetic 安 (ān, 'peace' or 'safety'). The radical indicates the bird category, while the phonetic supplies the pronunciation; despite its original meaning of tranquility, 安 here acts merely as a sound marker attached to the bird classifier. This combination formed a clear written tag for the quail, distinguishing it from other birds in classical texts.
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