鸟
niǎo
One wing ties chicken, duck, goose and pigeon together
The picture A bird with beak and feathers raised, one foot gripping a branch, ready to lift off at any second. 鸟 leaves the branch and climbs into the air; 鱼 pushes forward through water.
Where the picture shows up in 鸟
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the bird on the branch
树上有几只鸟在叫。
shù shàng yǒu jǐ zhī niǎo zài jiào
There are a few birds calling up in the tree.
Birds gripping a branch, necks stretched out, calling over each other
只 is the measure word for birds and animals.
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the bird that came down to the yard
我点了一份鸡肉饭。
wǒ diǎn le yí fèn jīròu fàn
I ordered a chicken rice bowl.
Wings folded, pecking at the yard dirt, living right next to people
The right-hand half of 鸡 is 鸟 itself.
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the bird that floats on water
北京烤鸭很有名。
Běijīng kǎoyā hěn yǒumíng
Beijing roast duck is very famous.
A flat beak dipped in the water, feet paddling the body along
烤鸭 is roast duck; 鸭 also carries 鸟 on its right.
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the long-necked, loud bird
池子里有两只鹅。
chízi lǐ yǒu liǎng zhī é
There are two geese in the pond.
A big bird stretching its long neck out to honk, guarding the water's edge
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the bird that comes back
广场上有很多鸽子。
guǎngchǎng shàng yǒu hěn duō gēzi
There are a lot of pigeons on the square.
A bird lifting off a hand, circling once, and landing back where it started
The 子 in 鸽子 is a meaningless tail on the name.
All of it in one picture
鸟 is one bird perched on a branch. Let it come down into the yard and live beside people and it is a chicken; let it settle onto water and it is a duck; give it a bigger body and a longer neck and it is a goose. Let it go from your hand and still find its way back and it is a pigeon. So when you see 鸟 sitting on the right of a character, read it first as: this thing has feathers.