鹅

• Pinyin: é
• Hanzi breakdown: 鹅 = 我 (phonetic, I/me) + 鸟 (bird) — a bird whose cry resembles the sound of 我

Meaning

Goose. A large waterfowl with a long neck, webbed feet, and typically white or grey plumage, commonly raised in rural China.

鹅 appears prominently in classical Chinese poetry, most famously in the Tang dynasty poem 咏鹅 by Luo Binwang. In cuisine, 烤鹅 (roast goose) is a celebrated Cantonese dish. Colloquially, 呆头鹅 (dull-headed goose) is used to describe a foolish or clueless person.

Examples

1. 农场里养了几十只白鹅，每到傍晚它们便成群结队地走回栏圈。 The farm raised dozens of white geese, and every evening they would walk back to the pen in groups.
2. 骆宾王幼年所作的咏鹅诗，至今仍是小学语文课本中的经典篇目。 The poem about geese that Luo Binwang wrote as a child is still a classic selection in Chinese language textbooks in elementary school.
3. 广东烤鹅皮脆肉嫩，是当地逢年过节必备的传统美食之一。 Cantonese roast goose, with crispy skin and tender meat, is one of the traditional must-haves for local holidays and celebrations.

Usage Guide

Context: animal, cuisine, poetry, agriculture

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 这家百年老店的烤鹅选用本地散养的优质灰鹅，以秘制卤水腌制后低温慢烤，色泽金红，皮脆香浓。(This century-old shop's roast goose uses locally free-ranged quality grey geese, marinated in a secret brine and slow-roasted at low temperature, resulting in a golden-red colour and crispy, fragrant skin.)
• 每到秋冬，湖边芦苇丛中常有大雁和野鹅栖息，吸引众多摄影爱好者前来捕捉这一季节性的自然景观。(In autumn and winter, wild geese and geese often roost in the reeds by the lake, attracting many photography enthusiasts to capture this seasonal natural spectacle.)

Don't Say

• 他像鹅一样聪明 — 鹅 is not associated with intelligence in Chinese culture; geese are often considered a bit slow-witted (呆头鹅); for intelligence compare to 猫头鹰 (owl)

Origin & History

Pictophonetic character — 我 serves as the phonetic component; 鸟 (bird) is the semantic radical indicating it is a bird

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal