斑鸠

斑鳩
bānjiū
noun #47,187

Measure Word

Meanings

  1. 1 turtledove
  2. 2 spotted dove

Examples

HSK 2
Yuànzi lǐ fēilai yī zhī bānjiū.
A turtledove flew into the courtyard.
HSK 7-9
Bānjiū de jiàoshēng tīngqǐlái hěn xiàng gēzi.
The call of a turtledove sounds a lot like a pigeon's.

Tips

memory
means 'spotted/striped' - these doves have a distinctive black-and-white speckled neck patch, so the name reads literally as 'spotted dove'.
culture
In 庄子·逍遥游, the turtledove 斑鸠 famously mocks the giant Peng bird's enormous flight - the proverbial small-minded creature that can't conceive of grand ambition.

Stroke Order

bān
jiū