Chinese word

宠物

Pronunciation

Pinyinchǒng wù

Meaning

  • nounpet

Example

她很喜欢照顾宠物。tā hěn xǐ huān zhào gù chǒng wù

She really likes taking care of pets.

Illustration for 宠物 (pet)

More examples

她把宠物当作家人来看待。tā bǎ chǒng wù dàng zuò jiā rén lái kàn dài

She treats her pet as family.

Core concept

A household animal valued for companionship and cared for by people, rather than kept mainly for work or food.

Common phrases

  • 给宠物洗澡gěi chǒng wù xí zǎo

    bathe a pet

  • 给宠物剪毛gěi chǒng wù jiǎn máo

    trim a pet's fur

  • 把宠物当作家人bǎ chǒng wù dàng zuò jiā rén

    treat a pet as family

Similar words

动物dòng wù: A living creature that can move, including creatures kept by people and those living in nature.
野生动物yě shēng dòng wù: An animal that lives in nature without being kept or cared for by people.
家畜jiā chù: A farm animal raised by people mainly for food or work.

Definition in Chinese

供人饲养以作伴或娱乐的动物，通常在家庭中由人照料，不以生产为目的。gōng rén sì yǎng yǐ zuò bàn huò yú lè de dòng wù tōng cháng zài jiā tíng zhōng yóu rén zhào liào bù yǐ shēng chǎn wèi mù dì

Word origin

宠 (chǒng, "to dote on") + 物 (wù, "thing or creature") presents the animal as a creature people cherish and keep close.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Chinese, 养 (yǎng, "to keep or raise") describes keeping and caring for a pet, while 领养 (lǐngyǎng, "to adopt") highlights taking an animal into one's care.

Opposites

  • 野生动物yě shēng dòng wùwild animalnoun

Related words

  • 宠物美容chǒng wù měi róngpet groomingnoun
  • 宠物训练chǒng wù xùn liànpet trainingnoun

Word lists with this word