How to write 牛
Animated Stroke Order of 牛
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Stroke by Stroke: 牛 Writing Order
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Free Printable 牛 Handwriting Practice Worksheets
Meaning of 牛
Pinyin
niú
Radical
牛
Strokes
4
Definition
ox / cow / bull
Usage
★★★★★
牛 [niú]
1. A mammal with hooves at the end of its toes and a pair of horns on its head. It is a ruminant animal, very strong, capable of plowing fields and pulling carts. Its meat and milk are edible, and its horns, skin, and bones can be used to make implements.
2. A star name, one of the twenty-eight lunar lodges.
3. A metaphor for stubbornness or pride.
4. A surname.
牛 [niú]
1. A mammal with hooves at the end of its toes and a pair of horns on its head. It is a ruminant animal, very strong, capable of plowing fields and pulling carts. Its meat and milk are edible, and its horns, skin, and bones can be used to make implements: 牛刀小试 (implying to display significant abilities in small matters). 牛黄, 牛角.
2. A star name, referring to the star in the Bull constellation: 牛斗 (indicating the star Bull and the star Dipper).
3. A metaphor for stubbornness or pride: 牛气.
4. A surname.
牛 [niú]
(Noun)
1. (Pictographic. The glyph for "牛" in oracle bone script appears as "牜". The vertical line represents the cow's face, the two curved lines above represent its horns, and the two small strokes below represent its ears.)
2. Members of the genus or related genus. A robust mammal with hollow horns that extend outward in a large arc from the skull. Strong enough to plow fields and pull carts. The main types produced in China are yellow cattle and water buffalo (English: ox; cattle).
3. Star name. An abbreviation for the constellation 牛宿 (Sagittarius).
4. A surname.
牛 [niú]
(Adjective)
Metaphorically used to describe a stubborn or obstinate character (English: stubbornness; obstinacy). For example: 牛心左性 (stubborn-minded, biased in temperament); 牛劲. It is also used to imply docility, slowness, clumsiness, and great strength. For example: 笨牛; 大牛.
牛 [niú]
(Noun)
1. (Pictographic. The glyph for "牛" in oracle bone script appears as "牜". The vertical line represents the cow's face, the two curved lines above represent its horns, and the two small strokes below represent its ears.)
2. Members of the genus or related genus. A robust mammal with hollow horns that extend outward in a large arc from the skull. Strong enough to plow fields and pull carts. The main types produced in China are yellow cattle and water buffalo (English: ox; cattle).
引 (Reference)
1. 《说文》: 牛, 大牲也。 (Shuowen Jiezi: Cow, a large livestock.)
2. 《易·说卦》: 坤为子母牛。 (I Ching: Kun represents the mother and child cow.)
3. 《左传·昭公五年》: 纯离为牛。 (Zuo Zhuan: Chún Lí is regarded as a cow.)
4. 《礼记·坊记》: 东邻杀牛。 (Liji: The eastern neighbor kills a cow.)
5. 《大戴礼记·曾子天圆》: 牛曰太牢。 (Daxie Liji: The cow is called a great sacrificial offering.)
6. 《周礼·载师》: 牛田牧田。司农注: "牛田以养公家之牛。" (Zhouli: Cows in the fields and pastures. The Ministry of Agriculture states: Fields for raising the public's cattle.)
7. 《乐府诗集·敕勒歌》: 风吹草低见牛羊。 (Yuefu: The wind blows the grass low, revealing cows and sheep.)
8. 唐· 白居易《卖炭翁》: 系向牛头充炭直。 (Tang dynasty, Bai Juyi: Tied to the cow's head to load coal directly.)
9. 《聊斋志异·促织》: 不数岁，田百顷，楼阁万椽，牛羊蹄躈各千计。 (Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio: In just a few years, numerous fields and buildings were brought together, with thousands of sheep and cattle.)
例 (Example)
For instance: 耕牛 (ox used for plowing); 牛酒 (cows and wine); 牛旄 (the tail of the cow); 牛性 (the nature of cows); 牛埭 (pulling boats over dams using cow power); 牛领 (the cow's neck); 牛具 (farm tools for cattle); 牛刀 (a knife for slaughtering cows, often a metaphor for a crucial tool); 牛蓑 (cow clothes, generic term for grass cloaks); 牛骥同皂 (cows and horses share the same trough, implying the foolish not discerning the wise; 牛骥共牢); 牛后 (the cow's anus, metaphorically implying a subordinate position); 牛眠地 (a suitable burial site).
牛 [niú]
3. Star name. An abbreviation for the constellation 牛宿 (Sagittarius).
引 (Reference)
1. 《晋书·张华传》: 吴之未灭也，斗、牛之间常有紫气。 (Book of Jin: Before Wu was defeated, there was often purple气 between the stars Dipper and Bull.)
4. A surname.
牛 [niú]
(Adjective)
Metaphorically used to describe a stubborn or obstinate character (English: stubbornness; obstinacy). For example: 牛心左性 (stubborn-minded, biased in temperament); 牛劲. It is also used to imply docility, slowness, clumsiness, and great strength. For example: 笨牛; 大牛.
lit. enough books to make a pack-ox sweat or to fill a house to the rafters (idiom); fig. many books
Funiu mountain range in southwest Henan, an eastern extension of Qinling range 秦嶺山脈|秦岭山脉[Qin2 ling3 shan1 mai4], Shaanxi
Cowherd and Weaving maid (characters in folk story) / separated lovers / Altair and Vega (stars)
lit. to penetrate into a bull's horn (idiom); fig. to waste time on an insoluble or insignificant problem / to bash one's head against a brick wall / a wild goose chase / a blind alley / to split hairs
Same Pronunciation Characters
Same Radical Characters
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Input Method for 牛
Pinyin
niu2
Wubi
rhk|tgk
Cangjie
hq
Zhengma
mb
Four Corner
25000
Unicode
U+725b
Stroke Number Category
HSK Level Category