驴 (lǘ): donkey
驴 (lǘ) is a Chinese character meaning “donkey.” Outside the HSK 3.0 syllabus (CLEC 2022), it is composed of 马 (semantic) and 户 (phonetic). It ranks #2428 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 驴 horse. Its radical form 马 (horse) appears in many related characters such as 马 (mǎ, horse), 骂 (mà, to scold), 驾 (jià, to drive).
Definitions
- donkey
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 驴 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 驴子 | lǘ zi | donkey |
| 蠢驴 | chǔn lǘ | silly ass |
| 黔驴技穷phrase | qián lǘ jì qióng | to exhaust one's limited abilities (idiom) |
| 野驴noun | yě lǘ | onager (Equus onager) |
| 毛驴noun | máo lǘ | donkey |
| 驴肝肺 | lǘ gān fèi | (lit.) a donkey's liver and lungs |
| 驴年马月 | lǘ nián mǎ yuè | see 猴年馬月|猴年马月 |
| 非驴非马 | fēi lǘ fēi mǎ | neither fish nor fowl |
| 电驴子 | diàn lǘ zi | (dialect) motorcycle |
| 小电驴 | xiǎo diàn lǘ | (coll.) electric scooter |
| 驴唇不对马嘴phrase | lǘ chún bù duì mǎ zuǐ | (lit.) a donkey's lips do not match a horse's mouth (saying) |
| 好心当成驴肝肺 | hǎo xīn dàng chéng lǘ gān fèi | (saying) to mistake good intentions for ill will |
| 别人牵驴你拔橛子 | bié ren qiān lǘ nǐ bá jué zi | lit. someone else stole the donkey |
| 博士买驴phrase | bó shì mǎi lǘ | ... |
| 电驴 | diàn lǘ | (slang) electric bicycle or scooter (moped-style) |
驴 appears in 30 compound words: 27 as the first character, 40 as the last, and 33 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Idioms & Chengyu (9)
(lit.) a donkey's lips do not match a horse's mouth (idiom); (fig.) wide of the mark; irrelevant; incongruous
to settle for what one has for the moment (e.g. job, girlfriend, etc.) while actively looking for something better
(lit.) a donkey's lips do not match a horse's mouth (idiom); (fig.) wide of the mark; irrelevant; incongruous
to settle for what one has for the moment (e.g. job, girlfriend, etc.) while actively looking for something better
Example Sentences
马奶、驴奶性质更为寒凉，脾胃虚寒人群并不适合饮用。
mǎ nǎi , lǘ nǎi xìng zhì gèng wéi hán liáng , pí wèi xū hán rén qún bìng bù shì hé yǐn yòng .
Horse milk and donkey milk have a cooler nature and are not suitable for people with spleen and stomach deficiency-cold.
湿热体质人群，可以选择性质偏凉的奶类，例如马奶、驴奶、驼奶。
shī rè tǐ zhì rén qún , kě yǐ xuǎn zé xìng zhì piān liáng de nǎi lèi , lì rú mǎ nǎi , lǘ nǎi , tuó nǎi .
People with a damp-heat constitution can choose dairy products with cooling properties, such as mare’s milk, donkey milk, and camel milk.
最终，这座金色驴屁股没有被法庭采纳。
zuì zhōng , zhè zuò jīn sè lǘ pì gǔ méi yǒu bèi fǎ tíng cǎi nà .
In the end, the court did not accept this "golden donkey's rear end" argument.
Character Family
Semantic Family — Characters sharing the 马 (horse) component
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 驴 (lǘ) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 驴 and 雇?
How many strokes does 驴 have?
What is the radical of 驴?
What are the components of 驴?
What are common words containing 驴?
Is 驴 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 驴 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear spoken pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.