犬 (quǎn) — dog (literary/formal; used in compounds and written Chinese)
Definition
Literary/formal word for 'dog', used mostly inside compounds like 警犬 (police dog) and 导盲犬 (guide dog). Not used alone in everyday speech — 狗 is the common word.
noun
dog (literary/formal; used in compounds and written Chinese)
Measure word · 只
Examples
- ，。Jǐng quǎn jīng guò yán gé xùn liàn, néng xié zhù jǐng fāng pò àn.Police dogs undergo rigorous training and can assist the police in solving cases.
- 犬。Dǎo máng quǎn shì máng rén shēng huó zhōng bù kě huò quē de huǒ bàn.Guide dogs are indispensable companions in the lives of blind people.
- ，犬。Zhè ge cūn zhuāng bèi tǔ fěi xǐ jié, jī quǎn bù níng.The village was ransacked by bandits, causing utter chaos.
Origin
Pictograph六书liùshū
象形xiàngxíngA drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.
犬 is a drawing of a dog seen from the side.
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.