Zi:牛

牛 [niú] ox/cattle; ​母牛 cow, ​公牛 bull, 牛​犊 calf; 牛​奶 milk; ​牦/​髦牛 yak; 牛​肉 beef; (radical 93, 牛​部); (HDZ:) … [niū] ​水牛​兒

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

►niú* ​牛 {A} n. ①cow; ox; cattle ②Surname ◆b.f. 〈environment:〉 coll. talk big; boast; brag ►chuīniú 吹牛 ◆s.v. 〈environment:〉 slang arrogant
►³niū ​牛 char. ►shuǐniūr 水牛儿

The Shuōwén Seal form of 牛 niú ‘humped-ox’ is said to depict the animal (​封/​峰/​犎牛 fēngniú ‘humped-ox (Zebu)’), with ​𠂉 the horns and head indicated by the upper three points, with a horizontal line for the single “withers yoke” (牛​轭) in front of the shoulder blades (​肩​胛​骨) and hump, and the bottom of the vertical line for the tail (the feet of the animal are not drawn); also called “Southern Yellow cattle” (Bos taurus indicus; cf. ​犎, ​角).
    Note: In SW the shape of 牛 niú ‘humped-ox’ is likened to that of ​羊(​𦍋) yáng ‘goat/sheep’, citing Confucius; cf. ​羊.
    Compare: ​牿 gù ‘ox's headboard/restraint’, formerly wr. ​告(​𠰛​吿), in which the horizontal line of 牛 is assoc. with the headboard (rather than the withers yoke).
    Note: Oxen are famously strong and stubborn, cf. ​倔​强/​犟 juéjiàng ‘obstinate/stubborn’ (as an ox).
    Note: The picture on the left of an ox head is from a Shang dynasty (​商​代) bronze vessel (Lindqvist).
    Note: For use of the character 牛 in the animal cycle (​生​肖), cf. ​天​干​地​支 tiāngān-dìzhī.
    HDZ: 牛 : niú : (​动​物​名) (牛​科) (SW:) ​像​角​頭​三、​封​尾​之​形​也 (​封/​犎); ​性​格​固​执​或​倔​犟/​强; (​星​宿​名) 牛​宿 (αβ Capricorni); (​星​名) (​简​称) ​牵牛​星 (​河​鼓​二, 牛​郎​星, ​天​鹰​座α, Altair) ; (​生​肖) (cf. ​鼠); (​旧) (​阴​历) 牛​日: ​正​月​初​五; (​姓)
►references: Guǎngyùn:205.21; Wieger:132a; Henshall:97; Karlgren:AD673,GSR998a; Hànyǔ Dà Zìdiǎn:3.1800.1; Lindqvist:131; Mathews:4737; Kāngxī Zìdiǎn:697.01; Bǐshùn Guīfàn:007.1.06; Wáng(1993):52; EDOC:1
►components: ​𠂉​十
►Cantonese: ngauh\
►stroke 牛 (... strokes)   
►list characters containing 牛 as a component
►list words containing 牛 (most common words first)
Unicode: U+725B
►web links for ‘牛’
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