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The character "猩" is structured with the beast radical "犭" on the left and the phonetic component "星" on the right, forming a phonosemantic compound that originally denoted an animal category. Etymologically, the "星" component provides the sound while the radical indicates its association with creatures, and early usage often featured the reduplicated form "猩猩" to describe a legendary ape believed to mimic human speech. Over time, its meaning shifted from a broad, mythical referent to specifically designate the orangutan in modern Chinese.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
那只猩猩很聪明。
猩猩喜欢吃香蕉。
她穿了一件猩红色的外套。
我们在森林里发现了一只猩猩。
猩猩的智商相当高。
夕阳把天空染成了猩红色。
虽然猩猩看起来笨重，但它们实际上很灵活。
为了保护濒危的猩猩物种，国际组织采取了多种措施。