Definitions
stoat; weasel
Etymology
About
This phono-semantic compound uses the semantic radical 鼠, which broadly indicates rodents and small mammals, paired with the phonetic component 生. Its primary meaning refers to a weasel or ferret, a specific type of small carnivore. While distinct from true rodents, it was historically grouped under this radical by early classifiers. The character appears in texts about local wildlife, agricultural pests, or fur-bearing animals, reflecting practical human interactions with such creatures. It exemplifies how the 鼠 radical was applied to various small terrestrial animals, with the phonetic element 生 specifying the particular kind within that general category.