què
noun #38,136

Measure Word

Meanings

  1. 1 magpie

Examples

HSK 7-9
Xǐquè jiào, jùshuō yǒu xǐshì yào lái.
A magpie chirping is said to mean a happy event is coming.
HSK 7-9
Yìqún xǐquè zài dàshù shàng zhù le cháo.
A flock of magpies built a nest in the big tree.

Tips

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

Components

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

Stroke Order

què