Chinese word

燕子

Pronunciation

Pinyinyàn zi

Meaning

  • nounswallow

Example

燕子在天上飞。yàn zi zài tiān shàng fēi

A swallow is flying in the sky.

Illustration for 燕子 (swallow)

More examples

春末，燕子带着泥巴在屋檐下筑巢。chūn mò yàn zi dài zhe ní bā zài wū yán xià zhù cháo

At the end of spring, a swallow carries mud and builds a nest under the eaves.

Core concept

A small migratory bird with a slim body and forked tail that catches insects while darting through the open air and around house eaves.

Common phrases

  • 燕子筑巢yàn zi zhù cháo

    swallow builds a nest

  • 燕子衔泥yàn zi xián ní

    swallow carries mud

  • 燕子迁徙yàn zi qiān xǐ

    swallow migration

Similar words

家燕jiā yàn: A common swallow species that often builds its nest near people's homes.
候鸟hòu niǎo: A bird that travels long distances at different times of the year.
燕儿yànr: A familiar, affectionate spoken name for a swallow.

Definition in Chinese

指一种小型的候鸟，常在屋檐或空中轻快飞行，体形纤细，尾羽分叉呈燕尾状，主要以飞行中捕食昆虫为生。zhǐ yì zhǒng xiǎo xíng de hòu niǎo cháng zài wū yán huò kōng zhōng qīng kuài fēi xíng tǐ xíng xiān xì wéi yǔ fēn chà chéng yàn wěi zhuàng zhǔ yào yǐ fēi xíng zhōng bǔ shí kūn chóng wéi shēng

Word origin

燕子 (yànzi, "swallow") combines 燕 (yàn, "swallow") with 子 (zi, "noun-forming suffix"), giving the older bird name a familiar everyday form.

Usage tips

  • In everyday counting, birds take the classifier 只 (zhī, "classifier for animals"), so a numeral normally appears with that classifier before the noun.

Related words

  • 燕窝yàn wōedible bird's nestnoun
  • 燕尾服yàn wěi fútailcoatnoun

Word lists with this word