About
The character 鸢 is a phono-semantic compound. Its semantic radical 鸟 (niǎo), meaning "bird", is placed at the bottom, classifying it as avian. The upper component 弋 (yì), meaning "a retrievable arrow", provides the phonetic element. The traditional form is 鳶, using the full bird radical 鳥. Biologically, it refers to a kite, a bird of prey known for its soaring flight. Because this gliding movement resembles that of artificial flying objects, the character was later adopted for paper kites, most famously in the classical term "纸鸢" (zhǐyuān).
Etymology Hide
