乳

rǔ

乚 + 孚

Definitions

rǔ (noun) breast; milk

Etymology

Depicts a mother holding (爫) a child (子) breastfeeding it.

Semantic: 乚 Phonetic: 孚

About

The character 乳 is built from 爫 (zhǎo, 'hand') over 子 (zǐ, 'child') on the left, and the stroke 乚 (yǐn) on the right, together depicting a mother holding a baby to her breast. Its original meaning was 'to suckle'; later it broadened to 'breast' and 'milk', and now also refers to milk-like liquids and emulsions.

Etymology Hide

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

早餐我喜欢喝牛奶。

Zǎocān wǒ xǐhuān hē niúnǎi.

I like to drink milk for breakfast.

奶酪是一种美味的乳制品。

Nǎilào shì yī zhǒng měiwèi de rǔzhìpǐn.

Cheese is a delicious dairy product.

婴儿需要母乳或配方奶。

Yīng'ér xūyào mǔrǔ huò pèifāng nǎi.

Infants need breast milk or formula.

酸奶富含活性乳酸菌。

Suānnǎi fùhán huóxìng rǔsuānjūn.

Yogurt is rich in active lactic acid bacteria.

这家工厂专门生产乳制品。

Zhè jiā gōngchǎng zhuānmén shēngchǎn rǔzhìpǐn.

This factory specializes in producing dairy products.

乳白色的月光洒在湖面上。

Rǔbáisè de yuèguāng sǎ zài húmiàn shàng.

The milky-white moonlight spilled onto the lake surface.

这种涂料具有优异的乳胶特性。

Zhè zhǒng túliào jùyǒu yōuyì de rǔjiāo tèxìng.

This type of paint has excellent latex properties.

哺乳动物用乳汁喂养幼崽。

Bǔrǔ dòngwù yòng rǔzhī wèiyǎng yòuzǎi.

Mammals feed their young with milk.

Related Characters

Component: 乚

Component: 孚

乳