Character

牛

niú HSK 1

牛 niú HSK 1

1. cow; ox; bull (large hoofed ruminant mammal with horns and a tufted tail, used for labor, milk, or meat)
2. arrogant; stubborn; conceited (Beijing slang)
3. Ox (one of the 28 lunar mansions)
4. (colloq.) highly capable; powerful; impressive
5. newton (unit of force; abbrev. of 牛顿)
6. a surname

Words using 牛 as niú (4)

1 牛奶 niú nǎi — milk HSK 1
- 牛 cow, specifies the animal source
- 奶 milk, the dairy substance
Example

我每天早上喝牛奶。

wǒ měi tiān zǎo shang hē niú nǎi

I drink milk every morning.
2 牛仔裤 niú zǎi kù — jeans HSK 5
- 牛 cow/cattle (referring to durable denim material)
- 仔 boy/worker (cowboy, referring to Western workwear origin)
- 裤 pants/trousers (the garment type)
Example

我买了一条新牛仔裤。

wǒ mǎi le yì tiáo xīn niú zǎi kù

I bought a new pair of jeans.
3 吹牛 chuī niú — to brag HSK 7
- 吹 to blow (metaphorically speaking)
- 牛 cow (forms idiomatic expression with 吹)
Example

他总是吹牛说自己很厉害。

tā zǒng shì chuī niú shuō zì jǐ hěn lì hai

He always brags that he's very capable.
4 对牛弹琴 duì niú tán qín — to cast pearls before swine HSK 7
- 对 toward/to (indicates the target or recipient)
- 牛 cow/ox (the uncomprehending audience in the metaphor)
- 弹 to play (a stringed instrument)
- 琴 stringed instrument/lute (the refined art being wasted)
Example

你跟他讲这些高深的理论，简直是对牛弹琴。

nǐ gēn tā jiǎng zhè xiē gāo shēn de lǐ lùn jiǎn zhí shì duì niú tán qín

Explaining these profound theories to him is like casting pearls before swine.

Structure & writing

牛 niú — cow; ox; bull (large hoofed ruminant mammal with horns and a tufted tail, used for labor, milk, or meat)

牛 is a component in 13 characters

HSK 1

件 jiàn measure word for individual items 半 bàn one half; half (used before the measure word when there is no whole number, or after when there is)

HSK 2

告 gào to tell, inform, or announce something to others

HSK 3

物 wù thing; object; matter 特 tè special, unusual, extraordinary 解 jiě to split open; to separate

HSK 6

牢 láo (lit.) pen or enclosure for livestock or wild animals 牵 qiān to lead or pull along

HSK 7

牡 mǔ male (of birds and animals, opposite of 牝) 牧 mù to herd (livestock or poultry) outdoors to graze or roam 牲 shēng livestock (cattle, horses, donkeys, mules); in ancient times, sacrificial animals (cattle, sheep, pigs) 牺 xī (lit.) sacrificial animal of pure coat color 犀 xī rhinoceros

牛 is an atomic character — it does not decompose further.

Stroke order