How to Write 鲮 (líng) — Meaning “Mud carp”

Imagine a fish (鱼) that is very "ling" (like a bell sound) because mud carp are known for making a ringing sound when jumping in water. The right part 夌 looks like a fish with a bell on its tail.

The radical 鱼 has 7 strokes; write the left side first, then the right part 夌 (9 strokes). Keep the right side balanced: the top 土 should be narrow, and the bottom 夂 (winter radical) needs to fit neatly under it. A common mistake is making the 夌 too wide.

鲮 (líng) means mud carp, 鲑 (guī) means salmon, and 鲒 (jié) is a type of clam or small fish. Visually, the right parts differ: 鲮 has 夌, 鲑 has 圭, and 鲒 has 吉. Each uses a different phonetic component to hint at pronunciation and meaning.

鲮 is most often seen in the word 豆豉鲮鱼, a popular Chinese canned dish made of fried dace (a type of mud carp) with fermented black beans. It is especially common in Cantonese cuisine and is eaten with rice or congee. The fish is also turned into 鲮鱼球 (dace fish balls) for hot pot.

Common words containing 鲮 include: 鲮鱼 (líng yú) — Mud carp; 豆豉鲮鱼 (dòu chǐ líng yú) — fried dace with salted black beans; 鲮鱼球 (líng yú qiú) — Dace fish balls.