Chinese word

虎

Pronunciation

Pinyinhǔ

Meaning

  • nountiger

Example

别惹那只虎。bié rě nà zhǐ hǔ

Don't provoke that tiger.

Illustration for 虎 (tiger)

More examples

他差点从虎口逃出来。tā chà diǎn cóng hú kǒu táo chū lái

He almost escaped from the tiger's mouth.

Core concept

A strong, watchful wild cat marked by bold stripes and built for the hunt.

Common phrases

  • 虎口hú kǒu

    tiger's mouth

  • 如虎添翼rú hǔ tiān yì

    like a tiger with wings

Similar words

老虎láo hǔ: A common conversational name for the striped wild cat.
狮子shī zi: A large meat-eating wild cat with a mane that lives in groups.
纸老虎zhí láo hǔ: Something that seems threatening or strong but has little real power.

Definition in Chinese

虎是一种大型的猫科动物，身体有明显的条纹，主要以捕食其他动物为生。hǔ shì yì zhǒng dà xíng de māo kē dòng wù shēn tǐ yǒu míng xiǎn de tiáo wén zhǔ yào yǐ bǔ shí qí tā dòng wù wéi shēng

Word origin

Early written forms of 虎 (hǔ, "tiger") resemble the shape of a tiger, so the character began as a picture rather than an abstract symbol.

Usage tips

  • Chinese often uses 老虎 (lǎohǔ, "tiger") for the animal in ordinary conversation, while 虎 (hǔ, "tiger") is frequent in written compounds and set phrases.

Related words

  • 虎口hú kǒutiger's mouthnoun

Word lists with this word