雁 yàn wild goose
How to remember 雁: 厂 factory + 亻 person + 隹 pigeon = wild goose. On the factory roof, a person feeding a pigeon suddenly looks up and points at a honking wild goose.
Component breakdown
雁 = 厂 factory + 倠
- 厂 factory
- 倠
- 亻 person
- 隹 pigeon
On the factory roof, a person feeding a pigeon suddenly looks up and points at a honking wild goose.
How it is used
- The wild goose 大雁 (dàyàn), the migratory bird flying in V-formation - a stock image in poetry for autumn, travel, and letters from afar.
- 雁 carries the association of homesickness and messages between separated people (the goose as an old 'mail carrier' image).
- Concrete and largely literary; everyday speech says 大雁.