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畜生 (chù sheng) — domestic animal, livestock; brute, beast (strong insult)

Definition

Literally 'domestic animal / livestock' (农畜、家畜), but now mostly used as a strong insult ('beast, brute') for a cruel or vile person — very rude, avoid in formal writing.

noun
domestic animallivestockbrutebeast (strong insult)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 畜生，。
    Nóng mín zài yuàn zi lǐ yǎng le yì xiē chù sheng, bǐ rú zhū hé jī.
    The farmer keeps some domestic animals in the yard, such as pigs and chickens.
  • ，畜生！
    Nǐ jìng rán zuò chū zhè zhǒng shì, zhēn shì chù sheng bù rú!
    You actually did something like this — you're worse than a beast!
  • 畜生，。
    Zhè xiē chù sheng suī rán bú huì shuō huà, dàn yě néng gǎn shòu dào rén de shàn yì.
    Though these creatures can't speak, they can still feel human kindness.

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.

畜chùdomestic animal
生shēngborn

畜 refers to domestic animals, and 生 means born; together they picture something born as livestock.

Characters in this word

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

畜 pairs 玄, a rope, with 田, a bag of feed or an enclosure, giving a picture of feed tied up or animals tied in a pen.

Open 畜 →

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

生 shows 屮 (a bud) above 一 (the ground), drawing a sprout coming up from the earth.

Open 生 →
Appears in
Animals & Mammals

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