鹡鸰

鶺鴒

jílíng

noun

Measure Word

一只鹡鸰 zhī

Meanings

1 wagtail (bird of family Motacillidae)

Characters

wagtail (bound form)

wagtail (bound form)

Examples

溪边常看到鹡鸰一上一下地摆尾巴。

Xī biān cháng kàndào jílíng yí shàng yíxià de bǎi wěiba.

By the stream you often see wagtails bobbing their tails up and down.

白鹡鸰是常见的冬候鸟。

Bái jílíng shì chángjiàn de dōng hòuniǎo.

The white wagtail is a common winter migrant.

Tips

history

《诗经·小雅·常棣》 has the line 脊令在原，兄弟急难 - 'wagtails on the open ground, brothers in urgent distress.' Ever since, 鹡鸰 has been a literary byword for brotherly bond and mutual aid; phrases like 鹡鸰之情 still appear in formal writing.

Stroke Order

鹡 jí

鸰 líng