兽 (shòu): beast, animal, beastly
兽 (shòu) is a Chinese character meaning “beast.” Classified as HSK Level 7-9 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), with radical 八 (eight). It ranks #1591 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 兽 an animal with horns 丷, eyes 田, nose 一, and mouth 口. Its radical form 八 (eight) appears in many related characters such as 八 (bā, eight), 六 (liù, six), 关 (guān, mountain pass).
Definitions
- beast
- animal
- beastly
Etymology & Origin
ideographicAn animal with horns 丷, eyes 田, nose 一, and mouth 口
Decomposition: ⿱⿱丷田⿱一口 (layout: top-bottom)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 兽 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 怪兽 | guài shòu | rare animal |
| 野兽 | yě shòu | beast |
| 禽兽 | qín shòu | birds and animals |
| 兽医 | shòu yī | veterinarian |
| 独角兽 | dú jiǎo shòu | unicorn |
| 猛兽 | měng shòu | ferocious beast |
| 兽性 | shòu xìng | brutal |
| 鸭嘴兽 | yā zuǐ shòu | platypus |
| 百兽 | bǎi shòu | all creatures |
| 食蚁兽 | shí yǐ shòu | ant-eater (several different species) |
| 兽皮 | shòu pí | animal skin |
| 洪水猛兽 | hóng shuǐ měng shòu | lit. severe floods and fierce beasts (idiom) |
| 作鸟兽散 | zuò niǎo shòu sàn | lit. scatter like birds and beasts (idiom) |
| 兽行 | shòu xíng | brutal act |
| 走兽 | zǒu shòu | (four-footed) animal |
兽 appears in 59 compound words: 32 as the first character, 47 as the last, and 20 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 兽 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (9)
a cornered beast will still fight (idiom); to fight like an animal at bay
lit. to lead beasts to eat the people (idiom); fig. tyrannical government oppresses the people
beast in human attire; gentleman in appearance but a beast in conduct; immoral or despicable person
a cornered beast will still fight (idiom); to fight like an animal at bay
lit. to lead beasts to eat the people (idiom); fig. tyrannical government oppresses the people
beast in human attire; gentleman in appearance but a beast in conduct; immoral or despicable person
Example Sentences
老师教我们兽字的发音和笔顺。
lǎo shī jiào wǒ men shòu zì de fā yīn hé bǐ shùn .
The teacher taught us the pronunciation and stroke order of the character for "animal."
猫咪“小五郎”前肢伤口深难痊愈 专业兽医移植皮肤手术终康复
māo 咪 xiǎo wǔ láng qián zhī shāng kǒu shēn nán 痊 yù zhuān yè shòu yī yí zhí pí fū shǒu shù zhōng kāng fù
The cat "Kogoro" forelimb wound is difficult to heal, and the professional veterinarian finally recovered from skin transplant surgery
...家人泪崩30秒!黄金世代队友齐聚 揭“野兽”私下真面目
. . . jiā rén lèi bēng 3 0 miǎo ! huáng jīn shì dài duì yǒu qí jù jiē yě shòu sī xià zhēn miàn mù
... The family burst into tears for 30 seconds! Golden Generation teammates gathered to reveal the true face of the "Beast" in private
... 伪装车曝光;月之暗面成国内最快晋级十角兽公司;曝腾讯关闭天美蒙特利尔工作室...
. . . wěi zhuāng chē pù guāng ; yuè zhī àn miàn chéng guó nèi zuì kuài jìn jí shí jiǎo shòu gōng sī ; pù téng xùn guān bì tiān měi méng tè lì ěr gōng zuò shì . . .
... camouflage car exposure; The dark side of the moon became the fastest domestic company to advance to the decacorn company; It was revealed that Tencent closed Tianmei Montreal studio...
上水“怪兽仓”两幼犬被困笼内 一狗断尾惹乌蝇 区议...
shàng shuǐ guài shòu cāng liǎng yòu quǎn bèi kùn lóng nèi yī gǒu duàn wěi rě wū yíng qū yì . . .
Two puppies in the "monster warehouse" in Sheung Shui were trapped in a cage, and a dog cut off its tail to provoke flies District council...
狮子听从驯兽师的指挥。
Shīzi tīngcóng xùn shòu shī de zhǐhuī.
The lion followed the trainer's commands.
我们要向这个怪兽投降吗？
Wǒmen yào xiàng zhège guàishòu tóuxiáng ma?
Are we going to surrender to these monsters?
你认为你是什么野兽？猎犬还是老鼠？
Nǐ rènwéi nǐ shì shénme yěshòu? lièquǎn háishi lǎoshǔ?
What beast dost thou think thou art? Art thou a hound or a rat?
她长大后成为了一名兽医。
Tā zhǎngdà hòu chéngwéi le yī míng shòuyī.
She grew up to be a veterinarian.
是我内在的兽性想要它。
Shì wǒ nèizài de shòuxìng xiǎngyào tā.
It's the animal in me that wants it.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 兽 (shòu) mean in Chinese?
How many strokes does 兽 have?
What is the radical of 兽?
What are the components of 兽?
What are common words containing 兽?
What characters sound the same as 兽 (shòu)?
Is 兽 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 兽 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear native pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.