白兔 (bái tù) — white rabbit (literal); (poetic) the moon, referring to the mythological white rabbit on the moon

Definition

Literally 'white rabbit.' In poetry and myth it is a famous name for the moon — the jade rabbit (玉兔) said to live there pounding medicine.

noun
white rabbit (literal)(poetic) the moon, referring to the mythological white rabbit on the moon
Measure word · 只

Examples

  • 白兔。
    Gōng yuán lǐ yǒu yì zhī bái tù.
    There is a white rabbit in the park.
  • 白兔。
    Chuán shuō zhōng bái tù zài yuè liang shàng dǎo yào.
    In the legend, the white rabbit pounds medicine on the moon.
  • 白兔。
    Rén men cháng yòng bái tù lái zhǐ yuè liang.
    People often use 'white rabbit' to refer to the moon.

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.

白báiwhite
兔tùrabbit

白 means white and 兔 means rabbit, giving a white rabbit.

Characters in this word

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

白 is thought to picture either an acorn or a human head.

Open 白 →

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

The shape of 兔 comes from drawing a rabbit.

Open 兔 →
Appears in
Animals & MammalsMythology & Folklore

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