鼠 (shǔ) — mouse; rat; computer mouse
Definition
鼠 is a bound morpheme: on its own it sounds literary; in real use it always forms compounds like 老鼠 (mouse/rat) or 鼠标 (computer mouse). It never appears alone in natural sentences — you'll see it only as a building block.
bound form
mouseratcomputer mouse
Examples
- 。Zhè zhī lǎo shǔ hěn dà.This mouse is very big.
- 。Wǒ de shǔ biāo bú jiàn le.My computer mouse is missing.
- 鼠。Xiǎo shǔ zài chī miàn bāo.The little mouse is eating bread.
Origin
Pictograph六书liùshū
象形xiàngxíngA drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.
The shape of 鼠 pictures a rat: the upper part looks like an open mouth with teeth, while the lower part shows two feet on the left and a tail on the right.
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