About
The character 鹰, denoting the eagle, exemplifies the phono-semantic principle in Chinese character formation, with its traditional variant 鷹 comprising the semantic component 鳥 (bird) to classify its meaning alongside the phonetic element 䧹 to approximate its pronunciation. This structural relationship, designed to associate the written form with both the creature's category and its spoken name, remained stable for centuries while undergoing natural stylistic adjustments in everyday writing. The graphical evolution involved a gradual simplification of the complex bird radical to 鸟 and a concurrent refinement of the upper phonetic component, resulting in the more streamlined form 鹰. Throughout these morphological changes, the character's core meaning has maintained a precise ornithological focus, exclusively referring to powerful birds of prey like eagles and hawks, and has not diverged into significant extended or metaphorical usage.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
一只鹰在空中飞。
那只老鹰的翅膀真有力。
鱼鹰是一种捕鱼能手。
他敏锐的目光像鹰一样。
这只鹰雕像做得栩栩如生。
秃鹰在高空盘旋寻找猎物。
军方派出鹰眼无人机侦察。
那位将军的鹰派作风在军中广为人知。