Chinese word

熊

Pronunciation

Pinyinxióng

Meaning

  • nounbear

Example

他看起来像一只熊。tā kàn qǐ lái xiàng yì zhī xióng

He looks like a bear.

Illustration for 熊 (bear)

More examples

母熊会保护幼崽。mǔ xióng huì bǎo hù yòu zǎi

The mother bear protects her cubs.

Core concept

A large, solidly built, furry animal whose behavior and diet differ across species.

Common phrases

  • 母熊mǔ xióng

    mother bear

  • 小熊xiǎo xióng

    bear cub

  • 熊掌xióng zhǎng

    bear's paw

Similar words

动物dòng wù: A living creature such as a mammal, bird, or fish.
熊猫xióng māo: A round-bodied black-and-white mammal that mainly eats bamboo.

Definition in Chinese

一种大型的哺乳动物，通常体毛浓密，四足行走，体形坚实，性情与食性随种类不同而差异较大。yì zhǒng dà xíng de bú rǔ dòng wù tōng cháng tǐ máo nóng mì sì zú xíng zǒu tǐ xíng jiān shí xìng qíng yǔ shí xìng suí zhǒng lèi bù tóng ér chā yì jiào dà

Word origin

熊 (xióng, "bear") began as a pictorial character associated with the shape of a bear and gradually became the compact modern form used for the animal.

Usage tips

  • In everyday counting, Chinese puts a measure word between a number and this noun, so one or two animals do not take an English-style plural ending.

Related words

  • 熊类xióng lèibear speciesnoun
  • 熊群xióng qúngroup of bearsnoun

Word lists with this word