About
The character 牡, which remains consistent in both traditional and simplified orthography, is etymologically structured from the component for "ox" (牛) combined with a element that originally represented a phallic symbol, a graphic construction that explicitly denoted its original and specific meaning of a male bovine, or bull. Over time, this semantic scope broadened considerably, allowing the character to be applied as a general designation for male animals of other species, such as in 牡馬 for a stallion. This conceptual framework of masculinity was also extended metaphorically into the botanical realm, where it appears in terms like 牡蠣 (oyster) and 牡丹 (peony), though in these compounds its male connotation is largely historical or symbolic rather than descriptive of the plant's biology.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
这朵牡丹很美丽。
我喜欢红色的牡丹。
花园里种了许多牡丹。
牡蛎是一种海鲜。
他点了烤牡蛎作为前菜。
牡马在草原上奔跑。
牡丹花的香气令人愉悦。
这家餐厅的蒜蓉牡蛎很有名。