TongTong
Sign in

牧羊 (mù yáng) — to tend sheep, to herd sheep

Definition

A verb-object compound meaning to tend or herd sheep. Like other 离合词, it can split with aspect markers: 牧过羊, 牧着羊.

verb
to tend sheepto herd sheep

Examples

  • 牧羊。
    Tā měi tiān zǎo shàng mù yáng.
    He tends sheep every morning.
  • 。
    Tā qù nián mù guò sān cì yáng.
    He herded sheep three times last year.
  • 牧羊。
    mù yáng Shì tā de gōng zuò.
    Tending sheep is his job.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

牧mùtend
羊yángsheep

牧 means to tend, and 羊 is sheep, so the sense is tending sheep.

Characters in this word

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

牧 puts 牛 (cow) beside 攴 (a whip), showing someone herding cattle.

Open 牧 →

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

The shape of 羊 comes from a drawing of a ram's head.

Open 羊 →
Appears in
Agriculture & Farming

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.