大雁

dàyàn

noun HSK 7-9 #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

HSK 3

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.

HSK 6

大雁排成人字形飞过天空。

Dàyàn pái chéng rén-zì-xíng 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 Dàyàn tǎ

Giant Wild Goose Pagoda

iconic Tang dynasty Buddhist pagoda in Xi'an

Stroke Order

大 dà

雁 yàn