Wild goose

It names a wild goose; compounds add the literary sense.

References to early forms of 雁 include manuscripts from Chu, an ancient Chinese state, during the Warring States period. The Han-era dictionary Shuowen Jiezi records the bird in formal reception and wedding rites. Poetry links migration to seasonal timing and distance, and ordered flight to family rank.

The Han-era story about Su Wu links geese with distant messages; 雁书 is a literary word for a letter. 雁字 names a line of geese in later poetry. Mandarin reads 雁 as yàn; Japanese readings are gan (がん) and kari (かり).