猛兽 (měng shòu) — beast of prey, predator | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

beast of preypredator

Measure word · 只

Examples

猛兽。
Sēn lín lǐ yǒu hěn duō měng shòu.
There are many beasts of prey in the forest.
猛兽。
Zhè zhǒng měng shòu fēi cháng xiōng měng.
This kind of beast of prey is very fierce.
猛兽。
Liè rén zhèng zài zhuī zōng yì zhī měng shòu.
The hunter is tracking a beast of prey.

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.

猛 gives fierce and 兽 gives beast, so the word means a fierce beast or predator.

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

孟

Same sound today

猛 pairs 犬 (dog) with 孟, and 孟 gives the sound.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 獸; 兽 is its simplified writing.

單單dānhunting weapon
犬犬quǎndog

The traditional form 獸 combines 單 (hunting weapon) and 犬 (dog) to show hunting; the simplified 兽 is a shorthand.

Appears in

Animals & Mammals

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