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虎

Mandarin · pinyin hǔ

tiger
Classifier: 隻 zhī

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虎: hǔ · tiger; brave, fierce; surname

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

3 · hu3

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1character link8same-tone records3source references

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 8 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

fu2

Cantonese word readings for 虎. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

character · Etymology 1

tiger (Classifier: 隻／只 mn)
Tiger (Chinese zodiac sign)
(figurative) brave; fierce
(dialectal) to show a stern or fierce look
a surname
(Northeastern Mandarin, derogatory) overbold; stupid

character · Etymology 2

only used in 馬虎／马虎 (mǎhu)

character · Etymology 3

only used in 虎不拉 (hùbulǎ)

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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