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 character 牛 (4 strokes) is an abbrev. of old forms, replacing the old upper strokes ​屮 with the shape ​𠂉 as in ​告/​吿, formerly wr. ​𠰛 (cf. ​朱, ​制).
    The Shuōwén Seal form of 牛 niú ‘horned/humped-ox’ is said to depict the animal (​封/​峰/​犎牛 fēngniú ‘zebu/humped-ox’), with three points above for the head and horns (​𠂉/​屮), with a horizontal line for the single ‘withers yoke’ (牛​轭) in front of the shoulder blades (​肩​胛​骨) and hump, and with the bottom of the vertical line for the tail (the legs/feet of the animal are not drawn, since they cannot be seen by the driver of the plow/oxcart).
    Note: In SW the shape of 牛 niú ‘horned/humped-ox’ is likened to that of ​羊(​𦍋) yáng ‘goat/sheep’, citing Confucius (cf. ​羊); 牛 is assoc. with ​南​阳​黄牛 ‘(humped) zebu, southern yellow cattle’ (Bos taurus indicus; cf. ​犎, ​角), and later also with ​家牛 ‘(humpless) northern yellow cattle’ (Bos taurus taurus).
    Compare: ​牿/​梏 gù ‘ox's headboard/restraint’ (to prevent goring), formerly wr. ​告(​𠰛​吿), in which the horizontal line of 牛 is assoc. with the headboard (rather than the withers yoke).
    Note: The received SW entry for 牛 is emended to begin with a visual pun on ​事(​𠭏) shì ‘do/deed/thing; ability’ (DYC), likening the strokes ​屮 of ​之(​𡳿) at the top of ​事 to those of 牛: strong as an ox, virile as a bull ox, able/powerful (​能​事) doer of deeds (​士), valuable property/thing (​物).
    Note: ​倔​强/​犟 juéjiàng ‘obstinate/stubborn’ (stubborn as an ox).
    Note: For use of the character 牛 in the animal cycle (​生​肖), cf. ​天​干​地​支 tiāngān-dìzhī.
    Note: The depiction of an ox head in this entry is reproduced from a ​商 Shāng bronze vessel (Lindqvist).
    Note: The component 牛 becomes ​牜 on the left side (the last stroke ​一 becomes ​㇀).
    Compare: ​半 bàn ‘half’; ​告(​𠰛​吿) gào ‘tell/report’.
    HDZ: 牛 : niú : (SW: ​大​牲​也, 牛​件​也; ​件, ​事​理​也; ​像​角​頭​三, ​封​尾​之​形; DYC: ​事​也, ​理​也, ​像​角​頭​三, ​封​尾​之​形​也) (​动​物​名) (牛​科) (​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
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