鳳

A mythic sacred bird symbolizing virtue, harmony, and royal authority.

By extension: illustriousness, auspicious sign, or exalted woman (as counterpart to the dragon symbolizing man).

Phono-semantic compound consisting of:

鳥 (새 조) — semantic component, indicating bird.

凡 (무릇 범) — phonetic component, giving the sound fèng / bong and contributing the sense of breadth or universality.

Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)defines:

「鳳，神鳥也。從鳥凡聲。」

“鳳 is a divine bird; composed of 鳥 (‘bird’) and the sound 凡 (‘broad, universal’).”

Early oracle-bone and bronze forms show the image of a large crested bird with spreading wings — likely the earliest depiction of the mythic phoenix.

In later script forms, the component 凡 was added as a phonetic indicator, marking the transition from pictograph to phono-semantic compound.

Thus, 鳳 originally denoted a sacred bird of high symbolic order — later paired with 凰 (female counterpart) as 鳳凰, the emblem of celestial harmony.

In Chinese and Korean idioms, 鳳 is often paired with 龍 (용, dragon) to symbolize the ideal union of yang and yin, heaven and earth, or emperor and empress.

For example, 龍鳳呈祥 (용봉정상) means “dragon and phoenix present auspicious signs.”

鳳 (봉) — phoenix; symbol of nobility

鳳凰 (봉황) — the paired phoenix (male and female)

鳳冠 (봉관) — phoenix crown; traditional ceremonial headdress of queens and brides

鳳輦 (봉련) — the imperial palanquin

鳳鳥 (봉조) — the phoenix bird

鳳樓 (봉루) — high pavilion of the palace (lit. “phoenix tower”)

鳳翼 (봉익) — phoenix wing; literary metaphor for assistance or protection

鳳雛 (봉추) — phoenix chick; metaphor for a promising youth

鳳求凰 (봉구황) — “the phoenix seeks its mate”; allegory of conjugal harmony (title of a Han-dynasty poem)

龍鳳 (용봉) — dragon and phoenix; symbol of cosmic balance and royal union

鳳凰于飛 (봉황우비) — “the phoenixes fly together”; idiom for a harmonious couple

The Kangxi Dictionary (康熙字典) glosses:

「鳳，百鳥之長也，雄曰鳳，雌曰凰。」

“鳳 is the leader of all birds; the male is called 鳳, the female 凰.”

In early mythology (Classic of Mountains and Seas, Shan Hai Jing, 山海經), the phoenix appears as a celestial creature embodying five colors — black, white, red, yellow, and green — each representing one of the Five Virtues (五德): benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and faith.

「鳳皇之鳥，見則天下安寧。」

“When the phoenix appears, peace and order reign under Heaven.”

During the Zhou and Han dynasties, 鳳 became the symbol of moral kingship — appearing only in the reign of a sage ruler.

In imperial iconography, the phoenix adorned empresses’ crowns (鳳冠) and royal robes (鳳袍), expressing grace, fertility, and virtue.

In the Confucian and Daoist imagination, the phoenix also represented harmony through balance — soaring between heaven and earth, it sings of righteousness (義) and benevolence (仁).

In poetry, 鳳 evokes noble solitude or harmony of spirit.

For example, Sima Xiangru’s famous poem 《鳳求凰》 describes the phoenix’s yearning for its mate — a timeless metaphor for mutual affection, virtue, and union.

In East Asian symbolism, 鳳 is one of the Four Divine Creatures (四靈) — alongside the dragon (龍), qilin (麟), and tortoise (龜).

Whereas the dragon signifies yang and imperial power, the phoenix embodies yin, grace, and moral harmony.

Thus in classical metaphor:

Man is the dragon (龍) — vigorous, creative force.

Woman is the phoenix (鳳) — elegant, nurturing wisdom.

Together, 龍鳳 represent cosmic duality and the balanced perfection of heaven and humanity.

鳳 originated as a pictograph of a sacred bird, later refined as a phono-semantic compound (鳥 + 凡).

It came to represent the phoenix, symbol of virtue, harmony, and divine authority.

From oracle bones to imperial regalia, 鳳 embodied the ideal of moral sovereignty and cosmic balance — the song of Heaven made visible in feathers of five colors.

Graceful and eternal, the phoenix continues to soar through East Asian art, philosophy, and imagination as the emblem of renewal, harmony, and the perfect union of yin and yang.

The ancient variant 𧱶 appears in early inscriptions, later merged into 鳳 in standardized writing.

𠏵, 𫲉, 㵯, 𣝲, 𤪧, 𫄍, 𬐑, 𫘙, 𪋴, 𮱱, 𪈽