猪 zhū pig
pig; hog; wild boar
How to remember 猪: 犭 dog + 者 specialist = pig. The hunter's dog corners something grunting in the woods, and the specialist from the zoo cannot decide whether it is a pig.
Component breakdown
猪 = 犭 dog + 者 specialist
- 犭 dog
- 者 specialist
The hunter's dog corners something grunting in the woods, and the specialist from the zoo cannot decide whether it is a pig.
How it is used
- A plain, freestanding noun for pig/hog, everyday vocabulary: 猪肉 zhūròu (pork, the most commonly eaten meat in China) and 猪 as the zodiac animal (属猪 shǔ zhū, "born in the Year of the Pig").
- Colloquially used as a mild insult for someone being clumsy, lazy, or slow: 你这个猪! (Nǐ zhège zhū!) - "You pig!" - casual and somewhat rude, best reserved for close friends or affectionate teasing.
- 猪 always takes the noun suffix in the diminutive/pet form 小猪 xiǎozhū ("piggy"), common in children's speech and cartoons.