Definitions
flying squirrel
Etymology
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The character 鸓 denotes a flying squirrel or a mythical bird, its meaning determined by classical context. Structurally, it is a phono-semantic compound: the left component 畾 serves as the phonetic element, indicating the pronunciation "lěi", while the right component 鳥 provides the semantic category of birds or flying creatures. This dual meaning likely originates from an older classification that grouped all gliding or flying animals, including mammals, under the broad umbrella of avian creatures. 鸓 has no common simplified form and remains a rare character, found chiefly in ancient zoological texts and classical dictionaries.
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