The word 隹 is believed in Xu Shen's Shuowen to be a general term for a short-tailed bird. Most dictionaries now interpret it this way.
The word "bird", as explained in the Shuowen, is the general name for the long-tailed bird.
So the question is, [eagle] has both a [falcon] word and a "bird" word, [eagle] word is a long-tailed bird or a short-tailed bird?
hawk
However... the explanation in the Shuowen that "falcon is the general name for a short-tailed bird" is actually wrong. Why? First of all, from the perspective of Chinese characters, you can't tell the length of the bird's tail at all. For example, the word "finches", see this word, we generally think that the tails of finches are short, but in fact, the tail of the finches is relatively long for its body, and most of the tails of finches are almost as long as the length of the body. So its tail is not short. The tail of the swallow falcon is also relatively long. There is also the word "eagle" with both the word "falcon" and the word "bird", how can we distinguish the length of its tail from the interpretation of the "Sayings"?
Don pull a finch
In fact, the falcon does not indicate the length of the tail, but the "cone". Refers to the shape. When we look at the eagle's tail, does it look like a cone? Or a front view like our cone, like a fan. Then look at the tail of the [sparrow], which is also in this shape. The tail of a goose is also like this. The tail of the swallow falcon is also cone-shaped like this. Therefore, the word "falcon" indicates "cone".
Let's take it a step further from words that don't represent birds. For example, the [mound] is also conical. The cone represents a shape like an iron cone/cone. So the [awl/iron cone] itself is a cone. [Push], push people to push things, why push hard, generally will also form a shape similar to the cone, in addition, in the interpretation of the text, when interpreting the word "give", think, give, push also, we look at the "give" word writing, the top is a triangle, of course, can also be considered to be cone.
So what are the characteristics of the [awl] when we look at it? One end is pointed and the other is scattered. The front point of the awl is very small, so the word can be extended to small, and the other is that it is a changing shape from large to small, from thick to thin. So it has the meaning of concentration, so the word "set" of collection, "set", also has a "隹", which means to change from a scattered state to a concentrated state. It is a kind of focus, we see that the word "Jiao" also has a "Falcon", why does it have the word "Falcon"? It means to concentrate on one point like a cone, below is a four-point bottom, four point bottom means fire, such as steaming, boiling, cooking, hot, fierce, illuminated, cooked and other words are related to fire, so it means fire, then [scorch] means to gather fire (or energy) on one point. For example, we can group words into focus. Some dictionaries and encyclopedias actually interpret this word as, "put the bird on the fire and roast it", which is inevitably laughable and generous. Is a bird roasted on a fire necessarily scorched? Some may not be cooked yet. If you put a bird on a fire and roast it, why not the word "roasted", why not the word "cooked"? The aroma of the roast is out, why not the word "incense"? Such an explanation is too far-fetched. Xu Shen believes that the word "Falcon" is the general name of the short-tailed bird, so will you follow the general name of the short-tailed bird that says "Falcon"? Xu Shen must be right? As an authority, it should be to examine the true meaning of this word, not to follow the clouds. Other teachers also teach their students in this way. According to the script, what is said in the book is what is, and there is no room for students to think. The things of the ancients can be referenced, and they must have reference significance, but it should be clear that what the ancients said is not necessarily correct. If [falcon] refers to a bird, then how to explain the "mound" [cone] mentioned above? How to interpret the word "childish" with "next to the word he"? Is it difficult for birds to eat grass seedlings? It doesn't make sense at all. As mentioned above, "Falcon" is concentrated on one point, which can be extended to mean small, for example, some iron cones are very small and small. Then [childish] means a very small crop (禾代指作物), or a crop concentrated on one point.
Let's look at the word "quasi" again. What is accurate, we say, "shooting accurately", that is, being able to concentrate the arrow on the midpoint is accurate. To be precise is also to focus on the point. Therefore, the word "quasi" also carries a word "隹". We look at the word "only", we say "only", what is unique? For example, I say "You are the only one for me". It means that I spend all my energy, emotions, money, and mind on you. It's a state of concentrating these things against one person, not for multiple people. So Falcon means a process from a scattered state to a centralized state. It is a concept abstracted from the shape of a cone.
The word "bird" is not actually the meaning of "long-tailed bird general name", because many birds with the word "bird" have short tails. It simply denotes birds.
So, the eagle means neither a long-tailed bird nor a short-tailed bird. Instead, it is a bird with a tail like a conical shape.