熊 (xióng) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

熊

xióng[xiong2]Tone 2

bear

HSK 5

Guru Deep Dive

English · bear

Cached lesson

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Topology:Top-bottom

Strokes:14

Writing Balance Rule: The upper part (能) sits compactly, while the bottom four dots (灬 / ㇏) are fanned out evenly at the base to anchor the heavy bear character.

1. Meaning

bear (animal)

surname Xiongto scold or rebuke (colloquial)weak or incapable (colloquial)

noun / verb / adjectiveneutral (noun/surname), colloquial (verb/adjective)#animals#nature#colloquial action#surnames

Sample Usage

森林里有一只大熊。
sēnlín lǐ yǒu yī zhǐ dà xiónɡ.
There is a big bear in the forest.
你别老熊他。
nǐ bié lǎo xiónɡ tā.
Stop always scolding him.

2. Sound

/[ɕi̯ɔŋ³⁵]/Tone: 35

熊

xióngxiong2

´(35)

=xióng

Initial Consonant

Type: Alveolo-Palatal Fricative

Sounds like: sh/h palatal sound

Unaspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: Hissing friction with lips stretched wide in a smile.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Blade of tongue approaches hard palate, air passes through smoothly with friction.

Final Rhyme

iong

Vowel Group: -o vowel group

Sounds like: iong rhymes with vee-ung / -ung

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

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

Abbreviated Rhyme Rule: Starts with a high front glide 'i' transitioning quickly into 'ong'.

Tone

T2 (35)

3 → 5 (35)

2nd Tone (Mid-Rising)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 2 rises from mid to high, matching an English upward inflection of surprise.

👂

Listening trap: Confusing the retroflex initial 'xióng' with 'róng' or missing the rising tone contour, treating it as flat.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: Tone 2 starts mid and rises sharply upward, like asking 'What?' in disbelief.

3. Writing

Topology: Top-bottom · Strokes: 14 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The upper part (能) sits compactly, while the bottom four dots (灬 / ㇏) are fanned out evenly at the base to anchor the heavy bear character.

4. Components

Radical 灬 · fire radical (four dots at the bottom) (fire)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 能 (original sound: néng)

The character combines the phonetic component 能 (ability/energy) on top with the fire radical 灬 (four dots representing glowing coals or paws) at the bottom.

能 Provides the sound and hints at the bear's formidable capability and strength.
灬 Fire radical, written as four dots at the bottom, which originally depicted animal paws or claws.

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Oracle bone inscriptions show a large animal with powerful paws and a heavy body. Over time, the character evolved to incorporate 能 for sound and four dots at the bottom representing claws or fire.

Semantic Evolution: Originally depicted a large, powerful wild animal (the bear). Modern colloquial extensions use the bear's lumbering or bullied image to mean 'to scold' or 'weak/useless'.

In ancient Chinese culture, bears symbolized strength and bravery, and emperors sometimes used bear motifs in military banners.

6. Sinosphere

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

Picture a powerful bear (能) sitting over a campfire (灬), roaring into the night sky with a rising tone of authority.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

能

néngability, canWithout the four fire dots at the bottom, it means capacity or ability.

熊

xióngbearAdds the four dots (灬) at the bottom representing the beast's paws or fiery spirit.

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

能(néng)

能 lacks the four dots at the bottom (灬) and means 'ability/can', whereas 熊 has the four dots and means 'bear'.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

我们在动物园里看到了一只大[___]。

Clue: xióng

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the top phonetic part 能 with other similar radicals, or forgetting to write all four dots (灬) at the bottom.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What animal does 熊 represent, and what is its tone?

Production: How do you write the character for 'bear' using 能 and the fire radical?

熊xióngbear

Speed:

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