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狗熊 (gǒu xióng) — black bear; (figurative, informal) coward

Definition

Two meanings: literally 'black bear' (the animal), and informally 'coward' as a mild insult. The figurative sense is what's commonly used in everyday speech.

noun
black bear(figurative, informal) coward
Measure word · 只

Examples

  • 狗熊。
    Dòng wù yuán lǐ yǒu yì zhī dà gǒu xióng.
    There is a big black bear in the zoo.
  • ，狗熊。
    Tā lián shàng tái dōu bù gǎn, zhēn shì gè gǒu xióng.
    He doesn't even dare to go on stage; he's such a coward.
  • 狗熊，。
    Bié dāng gǒu xióng, yǒng gǎn yì diǎn.
    Don't be a coward; be brave.

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.

狗gǒudog
熊xióngbear

狗 suggests dog-like, and 熊 is bear, naming the black bear.

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
犬犬quǎndog
Sound part声符shēngfú
句
句jù狗gǒu
Same sound today

狗 combines 犬, meaning dog, with 句, which gives the sound.

Open 狗 →

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
能能néngbear
Sound part声符shēngfú
炎
炎yán熊xióng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

熊 is made of 能 and 炎. It originally represented a word for raging flame; when 能 was borrowed for another word, 熊 came to write 'bear'.

Open 熊 →
Appears in
Animals & Mammals

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