隺 (hú)

flying high; ambition

Etymology

Depicts a bird (隹) with a line on its neck to either indicate a crane's long neck or loudness of its call. Based on the original meaning "crane", now written as 鶴. The meaning later shifted to "very high".

Shuowen Jiezi

《說文》:“隺,高至也。从隹上欲出冂。《易》曰:‘夫乾隺然’。”

Original meaning

crane

Components