(shēng) — (bound form) livestock, domestic animals

Definition

牲 is a bound form meaning 'livestock / domestic animal' (cattle, horses, etc.), always paired with another morpheme like 口 (牲口) or 畜 (牲畜). It never stands alone as a noun.

bound form
livestockdomestic animals

Examples

  • Zhè xiē shēng kou shì nóng mín de zhòng yào cái chǎn.
    These livestock are an important asset for the farmers.
  • shēng Chù de yǎng zhí xū yào hěn duō cǎo liào.
    Raising domestic animals requires a lot of fodder.
  • Tā měi tiān dōu yào wèi shēng kou.
    He feeds the livestock every day.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
niúcow
Sound part声符shēngfú
shēngshēng
Same sound today

牲 pairs 牛, meaning cow, with 生 as its sound part.

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.