狐 (hú) — (bound form) fox
Definition
Bound root meaning 'fox'; it rarely stands alone in modern Chinese and usually combines in words like 狐狸 (fox) or set phrases such as 狐假虎威.
bound form
fox
Examples
- 。Nà zhī hú li fēi cháng jiǎo huá.That fox is very cunning.
- 狐。Tā duì cǐ shì yì zhí hú yí bù jué.He has been hesitant and suspicious about this matter.
- 。hú Jiǎ hǔ wēi zhè ge chéng yǔ bǐ yù zhàng shì qī rén.The idiom 'fox borrows tiger's might' means to bully others by relying on someone else's power.
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.
狐 uses 犭, the dog sign, to mark it as an animal, and 瓜 to give the sound.
Appears in
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