Zi:虎

虎 [hǔ] (​老虎 lǎohǔ) tiger; (radical 141, 虎​部) [hū] ​马​马虎虎 [hù] (​方​言) (​鸟​名) 虎​不​拉

3 monosyllabic entries in The ABC Chinese-English Comprehensive Dictionary (namespace Ci):

►¹hǔ ​虎 {E} n. tiger M: ge/²zhī 个/只 ◆v. ①bluff; intimidate ②deceive; cheat ◆b.f. tiger-like; brave ►hǔjiàng 虎将
►⁶hū ​虎 {E} char. ►mǎmahūhū 马马虎虎
►¹⁴hù ​虎 char. ►hùbulǎ 虎不拉

The character 虎 hǔ ‘tiger’ derives from very old pictographs depicting the animal with feet/claws to the left, head and gaping jaws above, and long tail below.
    Note: Old forms in which the body has stripes (HDZ) obviously depict a tiger (and not some other large cat); in later ages the character became stylized and its interpretation became less clear (see below); the upper part ​虍 was not originally an independent character, but just an abbrev. of 虎 (as in ​虑/​慮, ​虏/​虜); the lower part of 虎 (like ​几/​儿 in the modern forms) suggests a tiger rearing up on its hind legs (standing up like a man), or a man-eating tiger, but formerly represented the legs of a deer killed by the tiger.
    The Shuōwén Seal form of 虎 hǔ ‘tiger’ is said to combine ​虍 hǔ ‘striped tiger pelt’ (phonosemantic), with ​儿(​人) rén (as in ​兇) representing the hind legs (upon which the tiger rears up, standing erect like a man); formerly wr. ​𠪳, ​𪊖, the old forms seem to depict a tiger preying upon ​鹿 lù ‘deer’ (predator/prey metonymy, the tiger is defined by its kill); in the old form the lower part ​比 represents the feet/legs of the deer, not the claws of the tiger, and not ​从 or ​儿(​人) man/men (cf. ​鸟, ​能); the deer is caught/flayed in the claws of the tiger, and the claws are wr. ​𦥑 or ​勿, as in old forms of ​革(​𠦶) gé ‘hide/pelt/flay’.
    Compare: ​能(​熊) néng/xióng ‘kinds of bear (animal)’, also with feet of/like a ​鹿 lù ‘deer’ as component.
    Compare: ​瞿 jù ‘frightened prey/bird’ (for predator/prey metonymy).
    Compare: ​畏(​𤱫​𤱖) wèi ‘fear’, in which the bottom is said to be 虎 abbrev.
    Compare: ​王(​𠙻) wáng ‘king, emperor’ (the lines of ​王 are associated with the pattern of stripes on the forehead of a tiger).
    虎 (or ​虍) is the 141st of the 214 radicals.
    HDZ: 虎 : hǔ : (​甲​金) ​横​看​都​象​巨​口​利​齿, ​文​身​长​尾, (​篆) ​则​象虎​蹲​踞​之​形; (​猛​兽​名) ​猫​科, ​头​大​而​圆, ​前​额​有​似​王​字​斑​纹, ​利​牙​巨​口, ​体​呈​淡​荒​色​或​褐​色, ​有​黑​色​横​纹, ​性​凶​猛, ​喜​欢​夜​行, ​能​游​泳, ​捕​食​野​猪、​鹿、​獐​等​动​物, ​有​时​伤​人; ​皮​毛​可​制​褥​垫​和​地​毯, ​肉​可​食, ​骨、​血​可​制​药 (​东​北虎, ​华​南虎); ​凡​伤​害​物​类​之​虫 (​蝇虎, ​蝎虎, ​壁虎); (​方​言) ​脸​色​陡​变​而​露​出​严​厉​或​凶​恶​的​表​情; ​唬: ​吓​唬; (​姓) • hù : (​方​言) (​鸟​名) 虎​不​拉
►references: Guǎngyùn:266.33; Wieger:135; Karlgren:AD87,GSR57b; Hànyǔ Dà Zìdiǎn:4.2819.2; Lindqvist:105; Mathews:2161; Kāngxī Zìdiǎn:1073.03; Bǐshùn Guīfàn:076.1.05; Wáng(1993):51; EDOC:1
►components: ​虍​几​​儿
►Cantonese: fu/
►stroke 虎 (... strokes)   
►list characters containing 虎 as a component
►list words containing 虎 (most common words first)
Unicode: U+864E
►web links for ‘虎’
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