鷺

A phono-semantic compound:

鳥 (bird) — semantic component, indicates the semantic category

路 (road, path) — phonetic component, providing the sound (ro / lù)

Original meaning "a long-legged wading bird," especially one seen standing or walking slowly along riverbanks, wetlands, or rice paddies.

The phonetic component 路 (road) may also subtly echo the bird’s slow, deliberate walking, though this is secondary to its phonetic role.

백로(白鷺) — white egret

해오라기 — native Korean term, commonly used in everyday speech

In modern Korean, the native word is far more common than the Sino-Korean reading.

The egret / heron is traditionally associated with:

- purity (especially white egrets, 白鷺)

- quiet elegance

- solitude

- natural harmony

Because of its still posture and white feathers, 鷺 often appears in poetry as a visual emblem of calm and refined beauty.

Related characters:

鳥 — bird

鶴 — crane

鸛 — stork

鷗 — seagull

鷺鷥 — compound meaning “heron”

Notably:

姫路城 (Himeji Castle) is nicknamed 白鷺城 (“White Egret Castle”) because of its elegant white appearance.

White egrets frequently appear in Tang poetry as landscape elements:

白鷺下秋水 — “White egrets descend upon autumn waters.”

Here, 鷺 serves as a marker of season, stillness, and clarity.