Definitions

(noun) fox

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character "狐" for fox is constructed as a phono-semantic compound, combining the beast radical 犭 to semantically classify it as an animal with the component 瓜 acting as a phonetic indicator, a linkage that reflects an earlier phonetic alignment since obscured by sound shifts over time. Its etymological design has remained largely unchanged, preserving this compositional logic without significant graphical modification, while the primary meaning referring to the fox animal has consistently endured. Across historical texts, the term has also accrued broader cultural connotations associated with cunning and transformative folklore, yet these associative meanings have not displaced the character's fundamental denotation, demonstrating how its stable structure continues to encode both semantic category and historical phonetic cues.

Etymology Hide

Oracle etymology image
Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Seal etymology image
Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Seal etymology image
Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Jin dynasty (266-316 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

那只狸很聪明。

Nà zhī húlì hěn cōngmíng.

That fox is very clever.

狸在森林里奔跑。

Húlì zài sēnlín lǐ bēnpǎo.

The fox is running in the forest.

狡猾的狸骗了乌鸦。

Jiǎohuá de húlì piàn le wūyā.

The cunning fox tricked the crow.

他露出了狸的尾巴。

Tā lòuchū le húlì de wěiba.

He revealed his fox's tail (his true nature).

这个故事里有一个仙。

Zhège gùshì lǐ yǒu yīgè húxiān.

There is a fox spirit in this story.

他对这个提议满心疑。

Tā duì zhège tíyì mǎnxīn húyí.

He was full of suspicion about this proposal.

她的眼神带着一丝媚。

Tā de yǎnshén dàizhe yīsī húmèi.

Her eyes carried a hint of seductive charm.

传说中,狸可以修炼成精。

Chuánshuō zhōng, húlì kěyǐ xiūliàn chéng jīng.

Legend says that foxes can cultivate themselves into spirits.