He had the ambitions of a fierce warlord, full of drive.
Tips
culture
In traditional Chinese culture, unlike in the West, owls (枭) were often considered inauspicious birds associated with death or bad omens. The character is also used in compound words like 枭雄 (ambitious and ruthless leader).
Bottom wood radical — the indexing radical. Pictograph of a tree. The 'bird on a tree' image is grimly literal: 枭 originally named the owl, and folk tradition mounted executed criminals' heads on trees as warnings — hence the extended sense 'fierce, lordly head' visible in 枭雄 (ruthless leader).
Top 鸟 — a contracted four-stroke form of the standalone 5-stroke bird character (the bottom hook is absorbed into the lower component). Pictograph of a bird with head, wing and tail. Provides the meaning: an owl is a bird. The unusual stacking on top of 木 mirrors a grim image from the etymology.
