Chinese Character Wiki
禽

qín

birds

Original meaning: 

to capture

Pictograph of a net with a handle used for hunting. 今 was added later to represent the sound. Based on the original meaning "to capture", now written as 擒. The meaning of this character has shifted over time and now means "birds" and "fowl".

Components
今 sound,remnant component

今  Sound Remnant component

jīn

  

now

◎ iconic component

◎  Iconic component

  

characterless component

Depicts a net with a handle used for hunting. Similar to 𠦒.

Evolution

禽 Oracle script (~1250-1000 BC)

Oracle script

(~1250-1000 BC)
禽 Bronze script Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)

Bronze script

Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)
禽 Seal script Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal script

Shuowen (~100 AD)
禽 Clerical script Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical script

Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
禽 Regular script Modern

Regular script

Modern
Definitions

禽  

qín

birds, fowl; surname; ; capture; generic term for birds and animals; birds; to capture (old)

Most common words with 禽
Freq.
Word
Meaning

禽兽

creature

禽

birds

家禽

poultry

猛禽

bird of prey

禽类

birds

Component uses

Sound component in 3 characters (1 verified)

擒 噙 檎

Iconic component in 1 character (1 verified)

擒

Historical pronunciation

Old Chinese

Middle Chinese

Pinyin

Gloss

*[C.ɢ](r)[ə]m

gim

qín

bird; animal

*[C.ɢ](r)[ə]m

gim

qín

catch, capture


Statistics

Not found in HSK word list

Appears in 4.2768% of movies

2488th most common character in movies

2562nd most common character in books

Miscellaneous

Strokes

12

Unicode

U+79BD

Shuowen

“禽，走獸總名。从，象形，今聲。禽、离、兕，頭相似。”


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