About
The character 鸲 (qú), simplified from 鴝, is a phono-semantic compound formed to name specific small birds. It combines the phonetic component 句 (jù) on the left, indicating its pronunciation, with the semantic radical 鸟 (niǎo, bird) on the right, marking its category. Historically, 鸲 has had a narrow application, appearing mainly in scientific or literary contexts for birds like the crested myna (八哥, bāgē) and the robin (知更鸟, zhīgēngniǎo), rather than as a general term. As a precise taxonomic label, its use is confined to ornithology and poetic references to these particular species.
Etymology Hide
