燕 yàn lovebird
lovebird; swallow
How to remember 燕: 廿 twenty + 北 north + 口 mouth + 灬 fire = lovebird. Twenty birds, each with a worm in its mouth, fly north past the farmer's cooking fire, and his daughter guesses "lovebird?"
Component breakdown
燕 = 廿 twenty + 北 north + 口 mouth + 灬 fire
- 廿 twenty
- 北 north
- 匕 spoon
- 匕 spoon
- 口 mouth
- 灬 fire
Twenty birds, each with a worm in its mouth, fly north past the farmer's cooking fire, and his daughter guesses "lovebird?"
How it is used
- The swallow (bird) - 燕子 (yànzi), a herald of spring: 燕子归来 (yànzi guīlái) the swallows return.
- 劳燕分飞 (láoyàn-fēnfēi) means lovers/companions parting ways. Read yān it refers to the ancient state of Yan and appears in 燕京 (an old name for Beijing).