About
The character 豢 (huàn) is a phono-semantic compound. Its lower radical 豕 (shǐ), meaning "pig", provides the semantic field of livestock, while the upper component 龹 (quán) indicates the pronunciation. Its original meaning referred specifically to the agricultural practice of feeding and domesticating animals, especially pigs, with prepared fodder. Over time, this concrete sense evolved into a strongly pejorative metaphor. In modern Chinese, 豢 is used almost exclusively to criticize the act of rearing or grooming subordinates, such as lackeys or mercenaries, for one's own illicit purposes, as in the common phrase 豢养 (to maintain as henchmen).
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
我家豢养了一只可爱的猫。
农民豢养奶牛来生产牛奶。
这个农场豢养了许多种动物。
他们豢养家禽为了获得鸡蛋和肉。
在古代，富人常豢养马匹用于交通。
为了保持生态平衡，我们谨慎豢养野生动物。
这家公司豢养了一批专业保镖以保护高层安全。
通过科学豢养，畜牧业的效率得到了显著提升。