鼬 (yòu) — weasel

Definition

noun
weasel
Measure word · 只
Easily confused

Examples

  • 鼬。
    Sēn lín lǐ yǒu yì zhī huáng yòu.
    There is a weasel in the forest.
  • 鼬，。
    Zhè zhǒng dòng wù jiào huáng yòu, tǐ xíng hěn xiǎo.
    This animal is called a weasel, and it has a very small body.
  • 鼬。
    Wǒ men zuó wǎn kàn dào yì zhī huáng yòu zài yuàn zi lǐ pǎo.
    We saw a weasel running in the yard last night.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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
鼠鼠shǔrat
Sound part声符shēngfú
由
由yóu鼬yòu
Same sound today

鼬 pairs 鼠 (rat) with 由, which gives its sound.

Appears in
Animals & Mammals

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