禽 qín — birds · English

禽

qín

birds

At a glance · 禽

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

「禽」甲骨文从网从兽，象捕鸟兽，金文小篆承之。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「禽」本义为捕获（擒），引申飞禽、禽兽、鸟类。

Structure

从冖（覆）、从禸，会意字，本为擒获，后指鸟兽（飞禽）。

At a glance

Pinyinqín

Radical人

Strokes13

UnicodeU+79BD

Character type会意

Theme动物

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English birds birds, fowl; surname; capture

Français oiseau / volaille Oiseau, volaille. «图写禽兽» : les oiseaux.

Español ave / volatería Ave, volatería. «图写禽兽»: las aves.

العربية طائر / طيور طائر، طيور. «图写禽兽»: الطيور.

Русский птица / птицы Птица, птицы. «图写禽兽»: птицы.

Common words

禽qínbird/beast
家禽jiā qínpoultry

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