龁 (hé) - To gnaw, to bite, to chew & especially referring to animals chewing or gnawing on

龁Tone 2

hé ｜ 11 strokes ｜ radical:

枫惠

龁 · hé

To gnaw, to bite, to chew;

especially referring to animals chewing or gnawing on something.

To gnaw, to bite, to chewespecially referring to animals chewing or gnawing on

Usage highlights

Gnaw and biteChew and swallowBite throughGnaw on bonesAnimal chewingHorse gnawing

Synonyms

  • 咬— to bite
  • 啃— to gnaw
  • 啮— to gnaw, to bite

Antonyms

  • 吐— to spit out
  • 咽— to swallow

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The horse gnawed on the fence post (马龁木桩).
  • Rats chewing through wires (老鼠龁电线).
  • The dog was biting its bone (狗龁骨头).
  • Ancient texts mention beasts gnawing bones (野兽龁骨).

Collocations

  • Gnaw and bite(龁啮)
  • Chew and swallow(龁吞)
  • Bite through(龁断)
  • Gnaw on bones(龁骨)
  • Animal chewing(兽龁)
  • Horse gnawing(马龁)

Idioms

  • Gnawing like a rat, biting like a dog(鼠龁狗啮)
  • Biting and chewing relentlessly(龁啮不休)
  • Gnawing through metal and stone(龁金啮石)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Primarily used in classical Chinese and literary contexts rather than modern spoken language.
  • Often appears in descriptions of animal behavior or in metaphorical expressions about persistence.
  • The character contains the 'tooth' radical (齒), clearly indicating its connection to biting or chewing actions.

FAQ