鲸 jīng whale
How to remember 鲸: 鱼 fish + 京 capital = whale. The little girl calls it a big fish, but the guide from the capital smiles and says it is a whale.
Component breakdown
鲸 = 鱼 fish + 京 capital
- 鱼 fish
- 京 capital
The little girl calls it a big fish, but the guide from the capital smiles and says it is a whale.
How it is used
- Whale - 鲸鱼 (jīngyú) whale, 蓝鲸 (lánjīng) blue whale, 捕鲸 (bǔjīng) whaling.
- Note 鲸吞 (jīngtūn) 'to swallow like a whale' = to annex/gobble up (territory, companies), often paired as 蚕食鲸吞 (cánshí-jīngtūn) to nibble and swallow up piece by piece.
- Straightforward animal noun otherwise.