虎 hǔ tiger
How to remember 虎: 虍 tiger + 几 how many = tiger. At the fair the painter draws a tiger face on who knows how many children, and the littlest one roars like a real tiger.
Component breakdown
虎 = 虍 tiger + 几 how many
- 虍 tiger
- 几 how many
At the fair the painter draws a tiger face on who knows how many children, and the littlest one roars like a real tiger.
How it came to be
The tiger block, a tiger's striped head, with a body and legs added underneath. The head alone is the marker; this is the whole animal, standing.
How it is used
- 'Tiger' - 老虎 (lǎohǔ) is the everyday word (the 老 is just a prefix, like 老鼠 for mouse).
- 马虎 (mǎhu) 'careless, sloppy' is a common colloquialism: 做事太马虎 (zuò shì tài mǎhu) too careless in one's work.
- In idioms 虎 evokes fierceness: 狼吞虎咽 (lángtūn-hǔyàn) to wolf food down like a wolf and tiger.
Characters built with 虎
Words with 虎
Example sentences
- 动物园里有一只老虎。 Dòngwùyuán lǐ yǒu yī zhī lǎohǔ.There is a tiger in the zoo.