Hai Collection, Middle Volume Radical: Bird (niǎo) Character: Yan Kangxi Stroke Count: 20 Page 1495, Entry 02 Pronounced yan (rising tone). Shuowen Jiezi (Explanation of Characters and Analysis of Compound Characters): A bird called yan. Another source says it is the phoenix. Erya (Approaching the Elegant): The yan is a phoenix, and its female is called the huang. Commentary: It means that all birds prostrate themselves when they see it.