About
The character "熊" for bear structurally combines the component "能" above the fire radical "灬", with its etymology tracing back to the earlier use of "能" itself to represent a bear in early Chinese writing. Over time, as the meaning of "能" evolved to denote capability or power, the distinct character "熊" was formed to specifically indicate the animal, possibly alluding to practices like smoking bears out of dens, though this connection is not definitively established. The semantic focus of "熊" has remained consistently on the bear, while its form preserves the phonetic hint from "能", reflecting a shift in linguistic function where the original pictographic element acquired abstract meanings, necessitating a more specialized graphical representation.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
森林里有一只熊。
熊猫是中国的国宝。
那个熊孩子很调皮。
熊在冬天会冬眠。
我们去看熊表演吧。
股市最近进入了熊市。
虽然熊看起来很可爱，但它们是危险的动物。
为了保护熊的栖息地，政府建立了自然保护区。