犀牛 (xī niú) — rhinoceros | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

rhinoceros

Measure word · 头

Examples

，犀牛。
Zài fēi zhōu, xī niú de shù liàng zhèng zài jiǎn shǎo.
In Africa, the number of rhinoceroses is decreasing.
犀牛。
Zhè zhī xī niú de jiǎo fēi cháng zhēn guì.
The horn of this rhinoceros is very precious.
犀牛。
Dòng wù yuán lǐ yǒu yì zhī jù dà de xī niú.
There is a huge rhinoceros in the zoo.

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.

犀 rhino and 牛 ox combine to name a rhinoceros.

Characters in this word

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

尾

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

犀 pairs 牛, the ox, with 尾 as its sound part; the ox part marks the meaning.

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

牛 is drawn as a bull's head, with two horns and two ears.

Appears in

Animals & Mammals

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