How to Write 鸰 (líng) — Meaning “wagtail”

Imagine a bird (鸟) standing at attention, obeying a 'command' (令). This image can help you recall that 鸰 is a wagtail, a bird often seen quickly moving its tail as if taking orders.

Write the left component 令 first, making sure the bottom stroke of 令 is a dot, not a longer line. The right side 鸟 should be narrow and balanced, with its tail stroke extending slightly lower than the left side. A common mistake is making the 鸟 radical too wide, so keep it compact.

鸰 has a left component 令 and the radical 鸟 (bird), while 袅 has 衣 (clothing) instead of 鸟 and means 'slender' or 'curling smoke'. 鸢 uses 弋 (shoot with arrow) plus 鸟 and means 'kite' (bird of prey). Visually, 鸰 looks balanced with two parts, 袅 has a more elongated top, and 鸢 has a wide top stroke.

鸰 is rarely used alone; it appears mainly in the compound 鹡鸰 (jí líng) meaning 'wagtail', found in zoological or literary contexts. In classical Chinese poetry, the wagtail is a symbol of brotherly harmony, often referenced in phrases like 鹡鸰在原 (wagtails on the plain) to express fraternal care.

Common words containing 鸰 include: 鹡鸰 (jí líng) — wagtail; 鸰鸟 (líng niǎo) — wagtail; 鹡鸰鸟 (jí líng niǎo) — wagtail bird.