牢 (láo): firm, sturdy, fold (for animals)
牢 (láo) is a Chinese character meaning “firm.” Classified as HSK Level 6 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 宀 (structural) and 牛 (structural). It ranks #1681 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 牢 a stable 宀 where cattle are kept 牛. Its radical form 牛 (cow) appears in many related characters such as 牛 (niú, ox), 物 (wù, (bound form) thing), 特 (tè, special).
Definitions
- firm
- sturdy
- fold (for animals)
Etymology & Origin
ideographicA stable 宀 where cattle are kept 牛
Decomposition: ⿱宀牛 (layout: top-bottom)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 牢 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 坐牢verb | zuò láo | to be imprisoned |
| 牢房noun | láo fáng | jail cell |
| 牢牢adjective | láo láo | firmly |
| 地牢noun | dì láo | prison |
| 牢狱noun | láo yù | prison |
| 大牢noun | dà láo | prison |
| 发牢骚verb | fā láo sāo | to whine |
| 牢记verb | láo jì | to keep in mind |
| 牢固adjective | láo gù | firm |
| 牢骚verb | láo sāo | discontent |
| 监牢noun | jiān láo | prison |
| 牢笼noun | láo lóng | cage |
| 牢不可破 | láo bù kě pò | (idiom) (usu. of sth abstract: an alliance, a conviction etc) unbreakable |
| 亡羊补牢phrase | wáng yáng bǔ láo | lit. to mend the pen after sheep are lost (idiom) |
| 牢靠adjective | láo kào | firm and solid |
牢 appears in 40 compound words: 38 as the first character, 48 as the last, and 15 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 牢 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (5)
(idiom) (usu. of sth abstract: an alliance, a conviction etc) unbreakable; rock-solid
lit. belly full of complaints (idiom); discontent; always moaning and complaining
Showing 4 of 5 idioms containing 牢.
Example Sentences
牢字的写法很特别，让我印象深刻。
láo zì de xiě fǎ hěn tè bié , ràng wǒ yìn xiàng shēn kè .
The character for "牢" has a very distinctive way of being written, which left a deep impression on me.
云南:发挥博物馆阵地作用 多维矩阵开展铸牢中华民族共同体意识宣传教育
yún nán : fā huī bó wù guǎn zhèn dì zuò yòng duō wéi jǔ zhèn kāi zhǎn zhù láo zhōng huá mín zú gòng tóng tǐ yì shí xuān chuán jiào yù
Yunnan: Give full play to the role of museums and carry out publicity and education on the awareness of the Chinese national community in a multi-dimensional matrix
...橘吃成贵州本地人,吃砂糖橘这些健康事项要牢记!
. . . jú chī chéng guì zhōu běn dì rén , chī shā táng jú zhè xiē jiàn kāng shì xiàng yāo láo jì !
... Oranges are eaten as Guizhou locals, and these health matters should be kept in mind when eating sugar oranges!
青菜煮熟能过夜吗能吃吗?这些隔夜菜知识要牢记
qīng cài zhǔ shú néng guò yè ma néng chī ma ? zhè xiē gé yè cài zhī shí yāo láo jì
Can you eat greens overnight when cooked? This overnight dish knowledge should be kept in mind
水牢性侵强迫堕胎样样来 联合国痛批东南亚诈骗...
shuǐ láo xìng qīn qiáng pò duò tāi yàng yàng lái lián gě guó tòng pī dōng nán yà zhà piàn . . .
The United Nations criticizes Southeast Asian fraud...
用坚守筑牢金城平安防线 兰州公安交管部门多举措守护...
yòng jiān shǒu zhù láo jīn chéng píng ān fáng xiàn lán zhōu gōng ān jiāo guǎn bù mén duō jǔ cuò shǒu hù . . .
With perseverance to build a safe defense line in Jincheng, the Lanzhou public security traffic management department takes multiple measures to guard...
绳子不够牢固，撑不住他。
Shéngzi bù gòu láogù, chēng bù zhù tā.
The rope wasn't strong enough to support him.
装置被牢牢地固定在天花板上。
Zhuāngzhì bèi láoláo de gùdìng zài tiānhuābǎn shàng.
The device is attached fast to the ceiling.
警察会把你关在牢里。
Jǐngchá huì bǎ nǐ guān zài láo lǐ.
The police will put you behind bars.
每人心里都有牢骚。
Měirén xīnli dōu yǒu láosāo.
Everyone has something that's troubling him.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 牢 (láo) mean in Chinese?
How many strokes does 牢 have?
What is the radical of 牢?
What are the components of 牢?
What are common words containing 牢?
What characters sound the same as 牢 (láo)?
Is 牢 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 牢 with real-time feedback
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