Additional information about 雞
說文解字: 【雞】，知時畜也。从隹、奚聲。 【古兮切】 【鷄】，籒文雞从鳥。 〔小徐本「雞」作「鷄」。〕
- Criteria
- CHICKEN
1. The current word for a hen or chicken generally is jī 雞.
- FEMALE
1. The current general word for a female of any species is cí 雌 (ant. xióng 雄 "male").
2. Nu# 女 (ant. nán 男 "male") refers specifically to human females.
3. Pìn 牝 (ant. mǔ 牡 "male") refers to specifically to females of animals.
4. Zì 牸 refers to females of buffalo, but sometimes also of tiger, rhinoceros, or horse.
5. Mǔ 母 (ant. gōng 公 "male") refers to adult females of some species, including spirits. NB incidentally: Mǔ jī 母雞 is current, while mǔ niǎo 母鳥 does not seem to be found.
6. Kūn 坤 (ant. qián 乾 "metaphysically: male") is a metaphysical way of characterising things as belonging to the female realm. (NB incidentally and irrelevantly as a modern Chinese reflex kūn biǎo 坤錶 "women's watch".)
- COCK
1. The standard word for a cock is jī 雞, the same as for "chicken", but occasionally the expanded form xióng jī 雄雞 is used.