Definition
鲸须 refers to the baleen plates in the mouths of baleen whales (like blue whales and humpbacks), which they use to filter krill and small fish from the water. It's a specialized biological term — you'll mostly encounter it in nature documentaries, marine biology texts, or discussions about whaling history. The word is a compound of 鲸 (whale) and 须 (beard/whisker), literally 'whale beard'.
n.
baleen (the filter-feeding plates in the mouths of certain whales)whalebone (archaic term for the same material, historically used in corsets and tools)
Examples
- 鲸须。Lánjīng yòng jīng xū guòlǜ hǎishuǐ zhōng de línxiā.Blue whales use baleen to filter krill from seawater.
- 鲸须，。Zhè zhǒng jīng de jīng xū fēicháng xìmì, kěyǐ bǔzhuō xiǎo yú.This species of whale has very fine baleen that can catch small fish.
- 鲸须。Guòqù rénmen yòng jīng xū zhìzuò sǎngǔ hé yīfu chèndiàn.In the past, people used whalebone to make umbrella ribs and clothing lining.
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.