How to Write 鹦 (yīng) — Meaning “parrot”

Imagine a baby (婴) bird (鸟) that can talk like a parrot. The baby bird repeats everything you say, which helps you connect the character to its meaning.

The left side 婴 is wide and has many strokes, so keep it balanced with the narrower right side 鸟. A common mistake is forgetting the small dot on top of 鸟, which is essential.

鹦 has the component 婴 on the left, while 鹕 has 胡 (hú, meaning beard) and means pelican, and 鹗 has 咢 (è) and means osprey. Visually, 鹦 is the only one with a 'baby' part on the left.

鹦 appears in the word 鹦鹉 (yīng wǔ), meaning parrot, and in the idiom 鹦鹉学舌 (yīng wǔ xué shé), which describes someone who repeats others without understanding. It is not common in daily vocabulary but appears in nature or figurative speech.

Common words containing 鹦 include: 鹦鹉 (yīng wǔ) — parrot; 绿鹦鹉 (lǜ yīng wǔ) — green parrot; 鹦鹉学舌 (yīng wǔ xué shé) — to parrot; to repeat what others say without understanding.