屠 (tú) — to slaughter (animals for food); to massacre (people)
Definition
Literary/classical verb meaning 'to slaughter' (animals) and, more commonly in history texts, 'to massacre' (people). Modern spoken Chinese usually prefers 杀 or 宰 for these senses.
verb
to slaughter (animals for food)to massacre (people)
Easily confused
- 屑xièlook-alike(bound form) fragments, scraps, shavings
- 图túsound-alike(noun) picture, drawing, chart, map
- 居jūlook-aliketo reside, to live (in a place; formal)
- 涂túsound-aliketo apply (paint, cream, etc.), to smear, to daub
- 屡lǚlook-alikerepeatedly, time and again (formal/literary; commonly used in 屡次)
- 徒túsound-alike(bound form) disciple, follower (in compounds like 门徒, 信徒)
Examples
- 。Tā měi tiān zài tú zǎi chǎng tú zǎi jǐ shí tóu zhū.He slaughters dozens of pigs every day at the slaughterhouse.
- 屠。Lì shǐ shàng fā shēng guò duō cì tú chéng shì jiàn.There have been many massacres of cities throughout history.
- 。Zhè zhǒng xíng wéi jiǎn zhí shì zài tú lù wú gū.This kind of behavior is practically massacring the innocent.
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.
屠 combines 尸 (body) with 者, which gives the sound.
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