yīng
noun #39,110

Meanings

  1. 1 warbler; oriole (a small songbird)

Examples

Chūntiān yīnggē-yànwǔ, shēngjī bóbó.
In spring the orioles sing and the swallows dart, full of life.
Yì zhī huángyīng zài zhītóu qīngcuì de gēchàng.
A yellow warbler was singing crisply on the branch.

Tips

culture
A small songbird, often 黄莺 (yellow oriole). The phrase 莺歌燕舞 ('orioles sing, swallows dance') paints a lively, prosperous spring scene and is a staple of classical poetry.

Components

radical
niǎo
bird
Bottom bird radical, the indexing component, marking as a bird. Same family as 's songbird relatives and .
semantic
cǎo
grass (radical form)
Top grass element, a graphic carryover from the traditional form , where the top depicted patterned plumage. In the simplified shape it serves as the standard top component rather than supplying the meaning.
ideograph
cover
Middle cover stroke, a residue from the reduced traditional structure. It connects the top to the bird below and does not carry independent meaning.

Stroke Order

yīng