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

HSK 7-9

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.

HSK 7-9

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