犊 (dú) — calf (young cow)
Definition
犊 is a bound form meaning 'calf', almost always used as 犊子 dúzǐ. It also appears in the chengyu 初生之犊不怕虎 ('a newborn calf fears no tiger') to mean a fearless young person.
bound form
calf (young cow)
Examples
- 犊。Nà tóu mǔ niú gāng shēng xià yì zhī dú zi.That cow just gave birth to a calf.
- 犊，。Chū shēng zhī dú bú pà hǔ, nián qīng rén yào yǒu yǒng qì.A newborn calf is not afraid of tigers — young people should have courage.
- 犊。Nóng mín bǎ dú zi yǎng dà hòu mài gěi le tú zǎi chǎng.The farmer raised the calf and then sold it to the slaughterhouse.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
This origin belongs to the traditional form 犢; 犊 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
𧶠
𧶠𧶠犢dú
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The evidence describes 犢, not 犊: 犢 pairs 牛 (ox) with a sound part 𧶠.
Appears in
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