颉 (xié): (of a bird) to fly upward

Meanings

两只鸟互相追逐，颉颃飞舞。

Liǎng zhī niǎo hùxiāng zhuīzhú, xiéháng fēiwǔ.

The two birds flew up and down chasing each other.

两队实力相颉颃，互不相让。

Liǎng duì shílì xiāng xiéháng, hù bù xiāngràng.

The two teams were evenly matched, neither giving way.

usage

Read xié, the character appears in 颉颃: birds flying up and down, and by extension two sides being evenly matched and unyielding.

radical

页 yè

head; page

The head radical 页 links to the original 'neck / head' sense behind the xié reading; in the name use it serves mainly as the indexing radical.

phonetic

吉 jí

lucky; auspicious

Supplies the sound, drifted from jí to the readings jié and xié. The same phonetic drives 结 and 洁.

颉 xié