About
The character for chicken, traditionally written as "雞", etymologically combines the phonetic component "奚" with the semantic radical "隹", which denotes a short-tailed bird, to form a pictophonetic character specifically indicating a fowl. Over centuries, the character's structure was modified for practical use, resulting in the simplified form "鸡" where the complex phonetic "奚" is replaced by the simpler component "又", while the semantic element is shifted to "鸟", another radical meaning bird, thus preserving the original conceptual link. The meaning of the character has remained consistently centered on the domestic chicken throughout its history, illustrating how structural adaptations in Chinese characters often aim to balance phonetic cues with semantic clarity without diverging from the core referent.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
鸡肉很好吃。
我喜欢吃鸡肉。
这只公鸡每天打鸣。
妈妈做的鸡汤特别鲜美。
农场里养了很多只鸡。
晚饭我们准备吃烤鸡。
他点了一份辣子鸡丁。
超市里的冷冻鸡腿正在打折促销。