貘 (mò) - Tapir — a large, herbivorous mammal with a & also refers to a mythical creature in Chinese

貘Tone 4

mò ｜ 17 strokes ｜ radical:

妙慕

貘 · mò

Tapir — a large, herbivorous mammal with a short, prehensile snout, native to Southeast Asia and Central/South America;

also refers to a mythical creature in Chinese folklore that eats dreams.

Tapir — a large, herbivorous mammal with aalso refers to a mythical creature in Chinese

Usage highlights

Malayan tapirdreamBaird's tapirmountain tapirtapir familytapir fossil

Synonyms

  • 食梦兽— dream-eating beast (mythological)
  • 梦貘— dream tapir (mythological)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The Malayan tapir (马来貘) is native to Southeast Asia.
  • Tapirs are odd-toed ungulates (貘科动物).
  • The dream-eating tapir (食梦貘) is a creature from Chinese mythology.
  • We saw a Baird's tapir (中美貘) at the zoo.

Collocations

  • Malayan tapir(马来貘)
  • dream-eating tapir(食梦貘)
  • Baird's tapir(中美貘)
  • mountain tapir(山貘)
  • tapir family(貘科)
  • tapir fossil(貘化石)

Idioms

  • Dream-eating tapir(食梦貘)
  • Tapir of the southern mountains(南山之貘)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In Chinese mythology, the tapir (貘) was believed to eat dreams, particularly nightmares, and was considered a protective creature.
  • The character appears in ancient texts like the 'Classic of Mountains and Seas' (山海经) as a mythical beast.
  • In modern times, the character is primarily used for the biological animal but retains its mythological associations.

FAQ