xiāo
鸮
owl; used in 鸱鸮
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesnoun
owl; bird of prey
literaryA literary and scientific term for owls. In modern usage, it is chiefly encountered in the compound 鸱鸮 (chīxiāo) or in zoological nomenclature (e.g., 林鸮, 雕鸮). Historically, the owl was often viewed as an ominous bird in Chinese literature.
Chī鸱
xiāo鸮
chī鸱
xiāo鸮
，
jì既
qǔ取
wǒ我
zǐ子
，
wú无
huǐ毁
wǒ我
shì室
。
Owl, owl, though you have taken my young, do not destroy my nest.
Zhè这
zhǒng种
xiāo鸮
lèi类
dòng动
wù物
zhǔ主
yào要
zài在
yè夜
jiān间
huó活
dòng动
。
This species of owl is primarily nocturnal.
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Gǔ古
rén人
rèn认
wéi为
xiāo鸮
shì是
bù不
xiáng祥
zhī之
niǎo鸟
。
The ancients regarded the owl as an inauspicious bird.