熊 (xióng) - Bear — a large mammal & also used as a Chinese surname meaning 'bear'

熊Tone 2

xióng ｜ 14 strokes ｜ radical:

信嫣

熊 · xióng

Bear — a large mammal;

also used as a Chinese surname meaning 'bear';

metaphorically refers to something clumsy or foolish.

Bear — a large mammalalso used as a Chinese surname meaning 'bear'metaphorically refers to something clumsy or foolish.

Usage highlights

PandaBear marketBear childBearBear waist and tiger backBear heart and leopard gall

Synonyms

  • 笨— stupid, foolish
  • 蠢— silly, dumb

Antonyms

  • 牛— bull market (financial antonym to bear market)
  • 灵— clever, agile (antonym to clumsy bear)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The panda is a type of bear (熊猫).
  • He has a bear-like physique (熊腰虎背).
  • That was a foolish move (熊样).
  • The bear market indicates declining stock prices (熊市).

Collocations

  • Panda(熊猫)
  • Bear market(熊市)
  • Bear child(熊孩子)
  • Bear-like appearance(熊样)
  • Bear waist and tiger back(熊腰虎背)
  • Bear heart and leopard gall(熊心豹胆)

Idioms

  • Fish and bear's paws cannot both be had(鱼与熊掌不可兼得)
  • Dream of a bear(梦熊之喜)
  • Bear's heart and leopard's gall(熊心豹胆)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In ancient China, dreaming of a bear was considered an auspicious sign foretelling the birth of a son.
  • The bear symbolizes strength and courage, but also clumsiness and foolishness in modern slang.
  • As a surname, Xiong is one of the ancient Chinese surnames with origins in the Chu kingdom.

FAQ