Chinese word

鼠

Pronunciation

Pinyinshǔ

Meaning

  • nounrat

Example

他属鼠。tā shǔ shǔ

He was born in the Year of the Rat.

Illustration for 鼠 (rat)

More examples

宠物店的玻璃柜里有几只小仓鼠。chǒng wù diàn de bō lí guì lǐ yǒu jǐ zhī xiǎo cāng shǔ

There are several small hamsters in the glass case at the pet store.

Core concept

A small, long-tailed rodent that slips through homes and fields and gnaws whatever it can reach.

Common phrases

  • 老鼠láo shǔ

    rat

  • 鼠年shǔ nián

    Year of the Rat

  • 仓鼠cāng shǔ

    hamster

Similar words

老鼠láo shǔ: The usual spoken term for a mouse or rat.
鼠标shǔ biāo: A hand-held device for moving the pointer on a computer screen.

Definition in Chinese

小型的啮齿类动物，体形较小、尾巴较长，牙齿适于啃咬，常出没于屋内或田间，可能损坏粮食或传播病菌。xiǎo xíng de niè chǐ lèi dòng wù tǐ xíng jiào xiǎo wěi ba jiào cháng yá chǐ shì yú kěn yǎo cháng chū mò yú wū nèi huò tián jiān kě néng sǔn huài liáng shí huò chuán bō bìng jūn

Word origin

鼠 (shǔ, "rat") is an ancient pictograph whose early forms show the body, tail, and limbs of a rodent.

Usage tips

  • In the Chinese zodiac, this animal is the first sign, so a birth-year context can point to the zodiac rather than a real animal.

Related words

  • 鼠类shǔ lèirodentnoun
  • 仓鼠cāng shǔhamsternoun
  • 鼠目寸光shǔ mù cùn guāngshort-sightedidiom

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