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鹊

鵲
què
noun #38,136

Measure Word

一只喜鹊 zhī

Meanings

  1. 1 magpie

Examples

喜鹊叫，据说有喜事要来。
Xǐquè jiào, jùshuō yǒu xǐshì yào lái.
A magpie chirping is said to mean a happy event is coming.
一群喜鹊在大树上筑了巢。
Yìqún xǐquè zài dàshù shàng zhù le cháo.
A flock of magpies built a nest in the big tree.

Tips

culture
The 喜鹊 (xǐquè, magpie) is a lucky bird in China; its name literally pairs with joy. In the legend of 鹊桥 (quèqiáo, the magpie bridge), magpies form a bridge across the Milky Way to reunite two separated lovers once a year.

Components

radical
鸟 niǎo
bird
The bird radical 鸟 on the right makes the meaning plain: this character names a kind of bird, the magpie.
phonetic
昔 xī
former times (phonetic)
昔 (xī, former times) sits on the left as the sound element, its reading shifted to què. The same phonetic appears in 借 and 错.

Stroke Order

鹊 què