兽 (shòu) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

兽

shòu[shou4]Tone 4

beast

HSK 7

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獸

Guru Deep Dive

English · beast

Cached lesson

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Topology:Top-bottom

Strokes:11

Writing Balance Rule: Keep the upper parts compact and balanced over the bottom component, ensuring the structural weight is centered.

Simplification Logic: The traditional character 獸 was streamlined into 兽 by simplifying the internal complex structure while retaining the phonetic/semantic frame.

1. Meaning

beast, animal

beastlybestialcruel or wild nature

NounLiterary#animals#nature#behavior

Sample Usage

野兽
yě shòu
wild beast
禽兽
qín shòu
birds and beasts, beastly person

2. Sound

/[ʂoʊ̯⁵¹]/Tone: 51

兽

shòushou4

`(51)

=shòu

Build the syllable

Step-by-step blending

shou

Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "o" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).

Initial Consonant

Type: Retroflex Fricative

Sounds like: sh sound with tongue curled back

UnaspiratedRetroflex

Airflow Tactile Test: Hollow wind sound through curled tongue channel.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue tip curled back near hard palate

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -o vowel group

Sounds like: -ou rhymes with oh

Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'oh'.

Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.

Tone

T4 (51)

5 → 1 (51)

4th Tone (High-Falling)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 starts high and plunges straight down, exactly like shouting 'No!' in anger or frustration.

👂

Listening trap: Confusing the retroflex initial sh- with the dental s- sound (e.g. confusing shòu with sòu).

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: A sharp downward chop with the hand, representing a stern command or a drop in pitch from high to low.

3. Writing

Topology: Top-bottom · Strokes: 11 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: Keep the upper parts compact and balanced over the bottom component, ensuring the structural weight is centered.

Simplification Logic: The traditional character 獸 was streamlined into 兽 by simplifying the internal complex structure while retaining the phonetic/semantic frame.

4. Components

Radical 犬 · Dog Radical (dog, canine, quadrupeds)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 犬 (indicates animals and beasts)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 单 (original sound: shou)

A wild beast is symbolized by capturing the fierce essence of a four-legged animal (犬) tracked across the fields.

禸 track or footprint
单 phonetic and structural framework
犬 dog or quadruped meaning clue

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally depicted a hunted animal tracked in the wild, combining footprints and animal traits to signify quadrupeds and beasts of prey.

Semantic Evolution: Shifted from specific wild game hunted in ancient times to general terms for beasts, animals, and metaphorically cruel or bestial human behavior.

In classical literature, 禽兽 (birds and beasts) represents all forms of non-human animal life.
It often carries moral weight when describing inhumane behavior.

6. Sinosphere

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: ジュウ / Kun: けもの

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

獸

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

Imagine a fierce wild BEAST (shòu) with a dog's body (犬) leaving massive footprints as it hunts in the forest under a falling fourth-tone command.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

鼱

jīngshrewAdded rat radical for rodent species.

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

受(shòu)

受 means 'to receive' and lacks the animal/dog radical at the bottom.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

这只森林里有很多凶猛的野[___]。

Clue: shòu

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing 兽 (shòu, beast) with 受 (shòu, to receive) because they share the same pinyin and tone.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What does 兽 mean and how is it pronounced?

Production: How do you write the character for 'beast' (shòu) with 11 strokes?

兽shòubeast

Speed:

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