嘼 (chù) - Animal, beast & livestock

嘼Tone 4

chù ｜ 15 strokes ｜ radical:

橙丁

嘼 · chù

Animal, beast;

livestock;

crude, uncivilized;

archaic form equivalent to 畜 (livestock) and 獸 (beast).

Animal, beastlivestockcrude, uncivilized

Usage highlights

Livestock and poultryDomestic animalsWild beastsAnimal husbandryBeastBarbarian tribes

Synonyms

  • 畜— domestic animal, livestock
  • 獸— beast, wild animal
  • 牲— sacrificial animal

Antonyms

  • 人— human (as opposed to animal)
  • 神— deity (as opposed to beast)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • Ancient texts refer to livestock as 嘼 (ancient 嘼).
  • The character appears in oracle bone inscriptions meaning beast (oracle bone 嘼).
  • Some dialects use 嘼 for domesticated animals (dialectal 嘼).
  • In historical contexts, it denotes uncivilized tribes (barbarian 嘼).

Collocations

  • Livestock and poultry(嘼禽)
  • Domestic animals(家嘼)
  • Wild beasts(野嘼)
  • Animal husbandry(嘼牧)
  • Beast-like behavior(嘼行)
  • Barbarian tribes(嘼夷)

Idioms

  • Like birds and beasts(如鸟嘼)
  • Beastly conduct(嘼心人面)
  • Uncivilized territory(嘼域)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • One of the earliest Chinese characters for animals, found in oracle bone inscriptions.
  • Originally depicted a tied or penned animal, emphasizing domestication.
  • Later specialized into 畜 for livestock and 獸 for wild beasts.
  • Sometimes used pejoratively for non-Han peoples in classical texts.

FAQ