犊

犢

dú

卖 + 牛

Definitions

dú calf; sacrificial victim

Etymology

To sacrifice 卖 a calf 牛

About

犊 (traditional 犢) is a phono-semantic compound: the cow radical 牛 (niú) gives the meaning, while the phonetic 卖 (mài), simplified from 賣, also evokes the notion of sacrificing a calf. The character consistently denotes a young bovine or calf, and its simplified form preserves the same structure. The meaning has always remained literal, appearing in agricultural vocabulary and proverbs such as 'a newborn calf fears no tiger.'

Etymology Hide

Bronze Late Warring States (~250 BC)

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Jin dynasty (266-420 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

农场里有一头牛犊。

Nóngchǎng lǐ yǒu yī tóu niú dú.

There is a calf on the farm.

小牛犊在草地上吃草。

Xiǎo niú dú zài cǎodì shàng chī cǎo.

The little calf is eating grass on the meadow.

昨天，我们看到了一群牛犊。

Zuótiān, wǒmen kàn dào le yī qún niú dú.

Yesterday, we saw a group of calves.

这头黑色的牛犊跑得很快。

Zhè tóu hēisè de niú dú pǎo de hěn kuài.

This black calf runs very fast.

农民正在照顾刚出生的牛犊。

Nóngmín zhèngzài zhàogù gāng chūshēng de niú dú.

The farmer is taking care of the newly born calf.

母牛护犊是天性。

Mǔniú hù dú shì tiānxìng.

It is natural for a cow to protect her calf.

如果牛犊生病了，农民会请兽医来。

Rúguǒ niú dú shēngbìng le, nóngmín huì qǐng shòuyī lái.

If the calf gets sick, the farmer will call a veterinarian.

尽管牛犊还很弱小，但它已经能跟随母亲行走。

Jǐnguǎn niú dú hái hěn ruòxiǎo, dàn tā yǐjīng néng gēnsuí mǔqīn xíngzǒu.

Although the calf is still very weak, it can already follow its mother and walk.

Related Characters

Component: 卖

Component: 牛

犊