How to Write 鹎 (bēi) — Meaning “bulbul”

Picture a small bird (鸟) that sits low (卑) on a branch — that is the bulbul. The word 'bulbul' even sounds a bit like 'bēi' with the 'ul' ending. So remember: a low bird is a bulbul.

Start with the left part 卑: write 丿, 丨, 一, 丶, then 丿, 一, 一, 丨, then the bottom 十. The right part 鸟 has 5 strokes: 丿, ㇆, 丶, ㇉, 一. A common mistake is making the left part too wide or forgetting the short vertical stroke inside 卑. Keep the left side narrow and the right side balanced.

鹎 uses the phonetic component 卑 and means 'bulbul.' 鸷 (zhì) has 执 as its phonetic and means 'bird of prey' (like a hawk). 鸸 (ér) has 儿 as its phonetic and is used in 鸸鹋 (ér miáo, emu). Visually, 鹎's left side is 卑, while 鸷 has 执 and 鸸 has 儿. Their meanings are completely different.

鹎 is a specific term for the bulbul bird family and appears in names of species like 白头鹎 (light-vented bulbul) and 红耳鹎 (red-whiskered bulbul). It is not common in daily conversation but is used in ornithology, birdwatching, and nature writing. The bird is culturally appreciated for its pleasant song in East Asia.

Common words containing 鹎 include: 白头鹎 (bái tóu bēi) — light-vented bulbul; 鹎鸟 (bēi niǎo) — bulbul bird; 红耳鹎 (hóng ěr bēi) — red-whiskered bulbul.