About
The character "仔" in its traditional form is composed of the person radical (亻) and the component 子, which means child. This structure originally conveyed a sense of a young person, specifically one old enough to bear responsibility or work. Its early meanings included "to bear a charge" or "to be careful", but over time the semantic focus shifted from duty to the quality of youth and smallness. It came to function primarily as a noun suffix denoting young humans or animals, as in "仔豬" (piglet), and later extended to indicate something small or fine in texture, such as in "牛仔布" (denim). In certain dialects, it also evolved into a general noun suffix that can convey familiarity or diminution, as seen in colloquial terms for people or objects.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
这只小狗仔很可爱。
请仔细看看这份文件。
他是妈妈的好儿子。
农场里有很多小鸡仔。
那个小伙子做事很仔细。
仔猪的健康需要特别关注。
你必须仔仔细细地检查一遍。
经过仔兽阶段的精心喂养，这只熊猫幼崽顺利长大了。