小熊猫 (xiǎo xióng māo) — red panda (Ailurus fulgens)

Definition

The red panda (literally 'small bear-cat'), native to Sichuan and other parts of southwest China. The English word 'panda' alone usually refers to the giant panda (大熊猫); 小熊猫 is a different, smaller animal.

noun
red panda (Ailurus fulgens)
Measure word · 只

Examples

  • 小熊猫。
    Dòng wù yuán lǐ yǒu yí duì xiǎo xióng māo.
    There is a pair of red pandas in the zoo.
  • 小熊猫。
    xiǎo xióng māo Xǐ huan chī zhú yè.
    Red pandas like to eat bamboo leaves.
  • 小熊猫。
    Wǒ zài sì chuān kàn dào le yě shēng xiǎo xióng māo.
    I saw wild red pandas in Sichuan.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

小xiǎosmall
熊猫panda
熊xióngbear猫māocat
联合Side by side

小 marks the lesser size, and 熊猫 refers to the panda, yielding the red panda.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 八八bāto divide; to separate
  • 丨丨gǔnsmall object

The shape of 小 comes from three small dots, later elongated into its strokes; the apparent parts 八 and 丨 are a later way of seeing it.

Open 小 →

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
能能néngbear
Sound part声符shēngfú
炎
炎yán熊xióng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

熊 is made of 能 and 炎. It originally represented a word for raging flame; when 能 was borrowed for another word, 熊 came to write 'bear'.

Open 熊 →

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
犬犬quǎn
Sound part声符shēngfú
苗
苗miáo猫māo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

猫 puts 犬 beside 苗; 犬 marks the animal sense, and 苗 gives the sound.

Open 猫 →

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