1. General names
Chinese: The Chinese name for the white-eye is 绣眼鸟 xiù-yǎn-niǎo, meaning 'embroidery eye bird'. (In Taiwan, the final 鳥 niǎo is dropped.) A popular alternative name is 白眼儿 bái-yǎnr ('white eye'). In Beijing, the white-eye is known as a 粉眼儿 fěn-yǎnr or 'powder eye'. (Note: 儿 represents an 'r' sound at the end of the word; it is not an independent syllable.) A number of other alternative names exist. |
Japanese: The Japanese name for the white-eye is メジロ me-jiro, consisting of the words 目 me meaning 'eye' and 白 shiro meaning 'white'. The characters for this are 目白 (sometimes 眼白). |
Vietnamese: The popular Vietnamese name for the white-eye is (Chim) khuyên. Since khuyên also means 'circle' (from Chinese 圈 quān), this may be where the name comes from. The official name of the white-eye is Vành khuyên, where vành means 'rim'. In Central Vietnam the white-eye is known as Chim nghệ ('saffron bird'), which is normally the name given to the ioras. |
2. Species names
ABOUT THIS TABLE (Hover cursor to see) 
SCIENTIFIC & ENGLISH |
CHINESE |
JAPANESE |
VIETNAMESE |
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| Latin | English | Chinese (Mainland) | Chinese (Taiwan) | Other Ch | Japanese | Other J | Vietnamese | Other V |
Zosterops erythropleurus/ Zosterops erythropleura |
Chestnut-flanked white-eye Red-flanked white-eye (Cheng) |
红胁绣眼鸟 hóng-xié xiù-yǎn-niǎo 'red-ribbed embroidered eye bird' |
红胁粉眼 hóng-xié fěn-yǎn 'red-ribbed embroidered eye' 粉眼 fěn-yǎnr powder eye' 北粉眼 běi fěn-yǎnr 'northern powder eye' (cf Z. japonica below) 绣眼儿 xiù-yǎnr 'embroidered eye' 白眼儿 bái-yǎnr 'white eye' 红胁粉眼 hóng-xié fěn-yǎnr 'red-ribbed powder eye' 紫燕儿 zǐ-yànr 'purple swallow' |
チョウセンメジロ (朝鮮目白) Chōsen me-jiro 'Korean white-eye' (Wikipedia) |
Vành khuyên sườn hung 'reddish-flanked white-eye' |
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Zosterops palpebrosus/ Zosterops palpebrosa  |
Oriental white-eye | 灰腹绣眼鸟 huī-fù xiù-yǎn-niǎo 'grey-bellied embroidered eye bird' |
ハイバラメジロ (灰腹目白) hai-bara me-jiro 'grey-bellied white-eye' |
Vành khuyên họng vàng 'golden-throated white-eye' |
Chim mắt thêu bụng xám tro 'ash-grey bellied adorned eye bird' (from book on birds as pets) |
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Zosterops japonicus/ Zosterops japonica  |
Japanese white-eye Dark green white-eye (Cheng) |
暗绿绣眼鸟 àn-lǜ xiù-yǎn-niǎo 'dark green embroidered eye bird' |
綠繡眼 lǜ xiù-yǎn 'green embroidered eye' |
粉眼儿 fěn-yǎnr 'powder eye' (Beijing) 绣眼鸟 xiù-yǎn-niǎo 'embroidered eye bird' 绣眼儿 xiù-yǎnr 'embroidered eye' 白眼儿 bái-yǎnr 'white eye' 白目眶 bái-mù kuàng 'white eye socket' 白日眶 bái-rì kuàng 'white day eye socket' (mistaken?) 粉燕儿 fěn-yànr 'powder swallow' 南粉眼 nán fěn-yǎnr 'southern powder eye' (cf Z. erythropleura above) 相思 xiāng-sī 'mutual thought' (Viney) cf. Leiothrix |
メジロ (目白) me-jiro 'white-eye' |
Vành khuyên Nhật Bản 'Japanese white-eye' |
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| Zosterops meyeni |
Lowland white-eye Philippine white-eye |
低地绣眼鸟 dī-dì xiù-yǎn-niǎo 'low land embroidered eye bird' |
巴丹綠繡眼 Bādān lǜ xiù-yǎn 'Batan green embroidered eye' (Batan is an island between Luzon and Taiwan) |
フィリピンメジロ (フィリピン目白) Firipin me-jiro 'Philippine white-eye' |
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| Zosterops everetti | Everett's white-eye |
埃氏绣眼鸟 Āi-shì xiù-yǎn-niǎo 'Mr Ai's embroidered eye bird' |
キムネメジロ (黄胸目白) ki-mune me-jiro 'yellow-breasted white-eye' |
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3. Notes
The distribution of the Zosteropidae in East Asia can be found at Tzung-Su Ding's Distribution of Zosteropidae in East Asia. |
Zosterops japonica is found both in Japan and across large parts of China, stretching down into Vietnam. Perhaps because of this, the Mainland Chinese prefer the English name 'dark green white-eye' to the internationally current 'Japanese white-eye'. |
4. Cultural Notes
Zosterops japonica is quite familiar to the Japanese. Its name occurs in the phrase 目白押し mejiro-oshi meaning 'jostling' or 'milling', from the habit of the birds of gathering on branches in jostling clusters. |
