How to Write 鹴 (shuāng) — Meaning “Frost-bird (a mythical bird)”

Imagine a bird (鸟) that has been covered in frost (霜) after a very cold night. Picture the frost sparkling on its feathers as it stands still. This visual of a frosty bird directly connects the two parts of the character.

Write the left part 霜 first, starting with the 雨 (rain) radical, then adding 相 (mutual). Follow with the right part 鸟 (bird). A common mistake is to make the 霜 component too wide or to forget the small dot inside 鸟, which is essential in the simplified form.

鹴 (shuāng) means a mythical frost-bird, while 鹳 (guàn) means a real stork. Visually, the left part of 鹴 is 霜 (frost), whereas 鹳 has a left part that looks like 蒦 (a different component). The right side of both is 鸟, so focus on the left side to tell them apart.

鹴 is very rare in modern Chinese and is not part of common vocabulary. It appears mainly in classical texts, poetry, or in the name of an ancient official title, 鹴鸠 (shuāng jiū). You might also encounter it in fantasy literature or cultural references to mythical birds.

Common words containing 鹴 include: 鹴鸠 (shuāng jiū) — Shuangjiu (a mythical bird or ancient official title); 鹴鹤 (shuāng hè) — Frost crane; 鹴鸟 (shuāng niǎo) — Frost-bird.