鸺 (xiū): (in 鸺鹠) a small owl; scops owl

Meanings

树上停着一只鸺鹠，夜里鸣叫。

Shùshàng tíng zhe yì zhī xiūliú, yèlǐ míngjiào.

A scops owl perched in the tree, calling at night.

鸺鹠是一种夜间捕食的小型猫头鹰。

Xiūliú shì yī zhǒng yèjiān bǔshí de xiǎoxíng māotóuyīng.

The scops owl is a small owl that hunts at night.

usage

鸺 occurs only in 鸺鹠, a classical name for a small owl. Everyday speech uses 猫头鹰 ("cat-head hawk") for owls in general.

radical

鸟 niǎo

bird

鸟 is the bird radical, marking 鸺 as a species of bird.

phonetic

休 xiū

to rest

休 gives the exact sound xiū. It carries no meaning in 鸺; the bird element supplies the sense.

鸺 xiū