兽 shòu beast
beast; animal; bestial
怎么记住“兽”: 丷 horns + 田 field + 𠮛 piled up = beast. On the school trip two horns rise over the field, and the city kids stand piled up behind their teacher, staring at the beast.
部件结构
会意 · Meaning + meaning
originally 單 + 犬
Two or more parts whose meanings together make the new meaning.
兽 = 𬎿 hunting tool + 𠮛 piled up
- 𬎿 hunting tool shape only
- 丷 horns
- 田 field
- 𠮛 piled up shape only
On the school trip two horns rise over the field, and the city kids stand piled up behind their teacher, staring at the beast.
How it came to be
The full form joins a hunting weapon and a dog, for hunting; the simplified form leaves out the dog.
用法
- A four-legged wild beast: 野兽 (yěshòu) wild animal, 猛兽 (měngshòu) a fierce beast, 兽医 (shòuyī) veterinarian.
- Carries a 'brutish, savage' overtone in figurative use: 兽性 (shòuxìng) bestial nature, 人面兽心 a human face with a beast's heart.
- 飞禽走兽 (fēiqín-zǒushòu) = birds of the air and beasts of the field, i.e. wildlife generally.