大雁

dàyàn

noun HSK 7 #60,802

Measure Word

一只大雁 zhī

Meanings

1 wild goose

Characters

大 here is not really 'big' but part of the standard name for the wild goose, distinguishing it from other birds.

Examples

秋天到了，一群大雁往南飞。

Qiūtiān dào le, yì qún dàyàn wǎng nán fēi.

Autumn has come, and a flock of wild geese is flying south.

大雁排成人字形飞过天空。

Dàyàn páichéng rénzìxíng fēiguò tiānkōng.

The wild geese flew across the sky in a V-formation.

Tips

culture

Wild geese (大雁) are symbols of loyalty and longing in Chinese poetry, because they migrate faithfully and mate for life. The V-formation (人字形, literally 'person-character shape') is a classic image in Chinese elementary school textbooks about autumn.

In Pop Culture

大雁塔 Dàyàntǎ

Giant Wild Goose Pagoda

iconic Tang dynasty Buddhist pagoda in Xi'an

Stroke Order

大 dà

雁 yàn