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山猫 (shān māo) — leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis); wildcat; lynx

Definition

Literally 'mountain cat' (山 mountain + 猫 cat). In Chinese usage it loosely covers several small wild felines — leopard cat, wildcat, or lynx — depending on context.

noun
leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis)wildcatlynx
Measure word · 只

Examples

  • 山猫。
    Wǒ zài shān shàng kàn dào yì zhī shān māo.
    I saw a leopard cat in the mountains.
  • 山猫。
    shān māo Shì yì zhǒng yè xíng xìng dòng wù.
    The wildcat is a nocturnal animal.
  • 山猫。
    Zhè zhǒng shān māo de ěr duo shàng yǒu hēi sè máo cù.
    This type of lynx has black tufts on its ears.

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.

山shānmountain
猫māocat

山 means mountain and 猫 means cat; together they name a wild cat.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

山 shows three mountain peaks side by side.

Open 山 →

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 →
Appears in
Animals & Mammals

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