狖 (yòu) - A type of long-tailed monkey or gibbon found & a literary term for a kind of ape.

狖Tone 4

yòu ｜ 8 strokes ｜ radical: 犭

咏与

狖 · yòu

A type of long-tailed monkey or gibbon found in ancient Chinese texts;

a literary term for a kind of ape.

A type of long-tailed monkey or gibbon founda literary term for a kind of ape.

Usage highlights

Gibbon's cryLongGibbon in the gorgeGibbon's howlBlack gibbonGibbon climbing

Synonyms

  • 猿— ape, gibbon
  • 猨— ape, gibbon (variant)
  • 长尾猿— long-tailed monkey

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The forest echoed with the cries of gibbons (狖鸣).
  • Ancient texts describe the 狖 as a long-tailed primate (长尾猿).
  • Poets often used 狖 to evoke a sense of wilderness and melancholy (悲鸣的猿声).

Collocations

  • Gibbon's cry(狖鸣)
  • Long-tailed gibbon(长尾狖)
  • Gibbon in the gorge(峡狖)
  • Gibbon's howl(狖啸)
  • Black gibbon(玄狖)
  • Gibbon climbing(狖升)

Idioms

  • Gibbons crying in the empty mountains(空山狖啼)
  • The sad call of the gibbon(狖悲鸣)
  • Gibbons and macaques gathering(狖猱相聚)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Appears in classical Chinese poetry and literature to depict wilderness and evoke melancholic moods.
  • Often associated with remote mountains and deep forests in traditional Chinese landscape imagery.
  • Used metaphorically to express loneliness or separation in literary contexts.

FAQ