About
The character "屠" is structurally composed of the radical "尸", which often signifies a building or a person in a recumbent position, and the phonetic component "者". Its traditional form remains identical to this composition, and its core semantic field has consistently related to the act of killing, specifically slaughtering animals for food. Over time, the meaning extended beyond butchery to encompass the more general and severe concept of massacre or large-scale killing of people, as seen in terms denoting slaughter or annihilation. While its primary violent connotations have been maintained, the character also developed a secondary, now largely obsolete, usage as a surname and in very limited contexts could refer to a butcher's trade or residence, illustrating a slight semantic broadening from the specific act to the associated agent or location before that usage faded.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
屠夫在市场上卖肉。
屠宰场每天处理很多动物。
屠户的刀非常锋利。
历史上发生过多次大屠杀。
战争期间，军队屠杀了无辜的平民。
这家公司垄断市场，犹如屠夫宰羊。
屠城事件是古代战争中最残酷的行为之一。
环保组织抗议过度屠宰野生动物。