牸牛

Chinese

		female of domestic animals	ox; cow; bull
simp. and trad. (牸牛)		牸	牛

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): zìniú

  (Zhuyin): ㄗˋ ㄋㄧㄡˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): zi⁶ ngau⁴
• Xiang (Changsha, Wiktionary): zi⁵ nyiou²

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: zìniú
    • Zhuyin: ㄗˋ ㄋㄧㄡˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: zìhnióu
    • Wade–Giles: tzŭ⁴-niu²
    • Yale: dz̀-nyóu
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tzyhniou
    • Palladius: цзыню (czynju)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sz̩⁵¹ ni̯oʊ̯³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: zi⁶ ngau⁴
    • Yale: jih ngàuh
    • Cantonese Pinyin: dzi⁶ ngau⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: ji⁶ ngeo⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡siː²² ŋɐu̯²¹/
• Xiang
  • (Changsha)
    • Wiktionary: zi⁵ nyiou²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key) (old-style): /t͡si²¹⁻¹¹ n̠ʲi̯əu̯¹³/
    • Sinological IPA ^(key) (new-style): /t͡ɕi²¹⁻¹¹ n̠ʲi̯əu̯¹³/

Noun

牸牛

1. (literary or dialectal) female cow

   • 臣請陳之，臣故畜牸牛生子而大，賣之而買駒，少年曰：『牛不能生馬。』遂持駒去。傍鄰聞之，以臣為愚，故名此谷為愚公之谷。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     臣请陈之，臣故畜牸牛生子而大，卖之而买驹，少年曰：『牛不能生马。』遂持驹去。傍邻闻之，以臣为愚，故名此谷为愚公之谷。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Shuoyuan, circa 1^st century BCE

     Chén qǐng chén zhī, chén gù xù zìniú shēng zǐ ér dà, mài zhī ér mǎi jū, shàonián yuē: ‘Niú bùnéng shēng mǎ.’ Suì chí jū qù. Bànglín wén zhī, yǐ chén wèi yú, gù míng cǐ gǔ wèi yúgōng zhī gǔ. [Pinyin]

     Allow me to explain! I once raised a cow who birthed a calf, who grew up later; I sold it and bought a colt. A youth said: "A cow cannot birth a horse." Then he took the colt and left. My neighbors heard that and took me as foolish; therefore this valley is named Foolish Old Man's Valley.

   • 堅昆部落非狼種，其先所生之窟在曲漫山北。自謂上代有神與牸牛交於此窟。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     坚昆部落非狼种，其先所生之窟在曲漫山北。自谓上代有神与牸牛交于此窟。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Duan Chengshi, Youyang Zazu", published in 9th century CE

     Jiānkūn bùluò fēi láng zhǒng, qí xiān suǒshēng zhī kū zài qūmàn shān běi. Zìwèi shàngdài yǒu shén yǔ zìniú jiāo yú cǐ kū. [Pinyin]

     The Jiankun tribe are not the wolf-kin(s) (i.e. Tujue or/and Gaoche); their ancestor had been born in a cave north of Mount Quman. They themselves say that of yore a god and a cow mated in that cave.

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 母牛 (“(female) cow”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Classical Chinese		牯, 牝牛
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		母牛
Northeastern Mandarin	Beijing	母牛
	Taiwan	母牛
	Ulanhot	乳牛
	Tongliao	乳牛
	Chifeng	乳牛
	Hulunbuir (Hailar)	乳牛
	Harbin	母牛, 乳牛, 女牛
	Shenyang	女牛
Jilu Mandarin	Jinan	氏牛, 母牛
Jiaoliao Mandarin	Yantai (Muping)	牸牛
Central Plains Mandarin	Luoyang	母牛, 牸牛
	Wanrong	騇牛
	Zhengzhou	兕牛
	Xi'an	母牛, 乳牛
	Xining	乳牛
	Xuzhou	母牛, 牸牛
	Sokuluk (Gansu Dungan)	乳牛
	Masanchin (Shaanxi Dungan)	乳牛
Lanyin Mandarin	Yinchuan	乳牛
	Bayanhot	乳牛
	Lanzhou	乳牛
	Ürümqi	母牛
Southwestern Mandarin	Chengdu	母牛, 騇牛
	Wuhan	母牛
	Guiyang	母牛, 牸牛
	Kunming	母牛
	Guilin	母牛
	Liuzhou	母牛, 牛婆
Jianghuai Mandarin	Nanjing	母牛, 騇牛 suburbs
	Yangzhou	牸牛, 母牛
	Nantong	母牛, 牸牛
	Hefei	母牛, 騇牛
	Huanggang	騇牛
Cantonese	Guangzhou	牛乸
	Hong Kong	牛乸
	Hong Kong (San Tin Weitou)	牛乸
	Hong Kong (Kam Tin Weitou)	牛乸
	Hong Kong (Ting Kok)	牛乸
	Hong Kong (Tung Ping Chau)	牛乸
	Macau	牛乸
	Guangzhou (Panyu)	牛乸
	Guangzhou (Huashan, Huadu)	牛乸
	Guangzhou (Conghua)	牛乸
	Guangzhou (Zengcheng)	牛乸, 牛牸
	Foshan	牛乸
	Foshan (Shatou, Nanhai)	牛乸
	Foshan (Shunde)	牛乸
	Foshan (Sanshui)	牛乸
	Foshan (Mingcheng, Gaoming)	牛乸
	Zhongshan (Shiqi)	牛乸
	Zhuhai (Qianshan)	牛乸
	Zhuhai (Doumen, Shangheng Tanka)	牛乸
	Zhuhai (Doumen)	牛乸
	Jiangmen (Baisha)	牛乸
	Jiangmen (Xinhui)	牛乸
	Taishan	牛乸
	Kaiping (Chikan)	牛乸
	Enping (Niujiang)	牛乸
	Heshan (Yayao)	牛乸
	Dongguan	牛乸, 牛牸
	Shenzhen (Shajing, Bao'an)	牛乸
	Shaoguan	牛乸
	Yunfu	牛乸
	Yangjiang	牛乸, 牛牸
	Xinyi	牛乸
	Lianjiang	牛乸
	Nanning	牛乸
	Wuzhou	牛乸
	Yulin	牛乸
	Hepu (Lianzhou)	母牛
	Danzhou	母牛
	Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu)	牛乸
	Ho Chi Minh City (Guangfu)	牛乸
Gan	Nanchang	牛婆
	Lichuan	牛𡡉, 𡡉兒
	Pingxiang	牛婆, 牛婆子, 牸牛, 牛牸
Hakka	Meixian	牛嫲
	Huizhou (Huicheng Bendihua)	牛乸, 牛牸
	Huizhou (Shuikou Bendihua)	牛乸
	Huizhou (Hengli Bendihua)	牛乸
	Huidong (Pingshan Bendihua)	牛乸
	Dongguan (Qingxi)	牛嫲, 牛牸仔
	Longmen (Pingling Bendihua)	牛乸
	Longmen (Luxi Bendihua)	牛乸, 牛嫲, 牛雌
	Boluo (Bendihua)	牛乸
	Shenzhen (Shatoujiao)	牛嫲
	Zengcheng (Zhengguo)	牛嫲
	Zhongshan (Wuguishan)	牛嫲
	Zhongshan (Nanlang Heshui)	牛嫲
	Wuhua (Huacheng)	牛嫲, 牛牸
	Heyuan (Bendihua)	牛乸
	Zijin (Guzhu Bendihua)	牛乸
	Longchuan (Tuocheng Bendihua)	牛嫲
	Longchuan (Sidu Bendihua)	牛嫲
	Heping (Linzhai Bendihua)	牛嫲
	Lianping (Zhongxin Bendihua)	牛乸
	Lianping (Longjie Bendihua)	牛嫲
	Xinfeng (Matou Bendihua)	牛嫲
	Xinfeng (Daxi Bendihua)	牛嫲
	Liannan	牛嫲
	Guangzhou (Lütian, Conghua)	牛嫲
	Jiexi	牛嫲
	Changting	牛嫲
	Wuping	牛嫲
	Ninghua	牛嫲
	Yudu	牛婆
	Shicheng	牛婆
	Shangyou (Shexi)	牛婆
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	牛嫲
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	牛嫲
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	牛嫲
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	牛嫲
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	牛嫲
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	牛嫲
	Hong Kong	牛嫲
	Luchuan	牛嫲
	Luchuan (Daqiao)	牛牳婆
	Senai (Huiyang)	牛嫲
	Singkawang	牛嫲
Huizhou	Jixi	牛婆
	Huangshan (Tunxi)	母牛
	Yixian	母牛
	Qimen	雌牛, 母牛
Jin	Taiyuan	母牛
	Pingyao	母牛
	Xinzhou	母牛, 兕牛子
	Taibus (Baochang)	母牛
	Linhe	乳牛
	Jining	母牛
	Hohhot	乳牛
	Baotou	母牛
	Dongsheng	乳牛
	Haibowan	乳牛
Northern Min	Jian'ou	牛嫲
	Jian'ou (Dikou)	牛嫲
	Zhenghe (Zhenqian)	牛嫲
	Wuyishan	牛嫲
	Pucheng (Shibei)	牛嫲
Eastern Min	Fuzhou	牛母
	Fuzhou (Changle)	牛母
	Fuqing	牛母
	Yongtai	牛母
	Gutian	牛母
	Fu'an	牛母
	Ningde	牛母
	Shouning	牛母
	Zhouning	牛母
	Fuding	牛母
Southern Min	Xiamen	牛母
	Quanzhou	牛母
	Jinjiang	牛母
	Yongchun	牛母
	Zhangzhou	牛母
	Dongshan	牛母
	Taipei	牛母
	New Taipei (Sanxia)	牛母
	Kaohsiung	牛母
	Yilan	牛母
	Changhua (Lukang)	牛母
	Taichung	牛母
	Tainan	牛母
	Hsinchu	牛母
	Kinmen	牛母
	Penghu (Magong)	牛母
	Manila (Hokkien)	牛母
	Zhangping	牛母
	Zhangping (Yongfu)	牛母, 牛種仔
	Pingnan (Shangdu)	母牛
	Chaozhou	牛母
	Shantou	牛母
	Shantou (Chenghai)	牛母
	Jieyang	牛母
	Haifeng	牛母
	Johor Bahru (Teochew)	牛母
	Leizhou	牛母
	Wenchang	牛母
	Haikou	牛母
Puxian Min	Putian	牛母
	Xianyou	牛母
Southern Pinghua	Nanning (Tingzi)	母牛
Wu	Shanghai	雌牛
	Shanghai (Songjiang)	雌牛
	Shanghai (Jiading)	母牛
	Suzhou	雌牛
	Wuxi	雌牛
	Danyang	母牛
	Hangzhou	母牛
	Ningbo	牛娘, 雌牛
	Wenzhou	牛娘, 牛牸, 草嘅牛
	Jinhua	雌牛, 牸牛
Xiang	Changsha	牛婆子, 牛婆, 牸牛子, 牸牛
	Xiangtan	牛婆子
	Loudi	牛婆子, 牸牛
	Shuangfeng	牛婆子, 牸牛
	Quanzhou	牛婆