公牛
gōngniú
The English word bull is translated into Chinese as 公牛 (gōngniú). Wiktionary also lists 特 (tè).
Meaning: uncastrated adult male bovine (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 公牛 | gōngniú |
| 特 | tè |
The term refers to an uncastrated adult male bovine.
What does it mean word for word?
公牛 is composed of 公 (male) and 牛 (cow, bovine or ox).
Which one should you use?
雄牛 (xióngniú) specifically means male ox and places more emphasis on the gender of the animal. Additionally, 牛 is used in standard Mandarin to mean bull.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Taiwanese Hokkien, the word for bull is 牛 (gû).
How does it change in a sentence?
公牛 is a noun that does not change its form for grammatical case or plurality.
How do you pronounce it?
gōngniú
Did you know?
- The word 牛 is used as internet slang to describe someone as 'awesome' or 'formidable', similar to the English phrase 'big deal'.
- The character 特 can mean both a large bull and the concept of being 'single' or 'unique'.
- The character 牛 is visually a pictograph that originally depicted the head and horns of an ox.
Examples in context
- 那是一头强壮的公牛。Nà shì yì tóu qiángzhuàng de gōngniú.That is a strong bull.
- 公牛在草地上奔跑。Gōngniú zài cǎodì shàng bēnpǎo.The bull is running on the grassland.
- 我们要保护那头公牛。Wǒmen yào bǎohù nà tóu gōngniú.We need to protect that bull.
Example conversation
Two people are visiting a farm together.
- 浩然 Haoran快看，那是一头公牛！Kuài kàn, nà shì yì tóu gōngniú!Look quickly, that is a bull!
- 晓雯 Xiaowen它看起来有点凶。Tā kàn qǐlái yǒudiǎn xiōng.It looks a bit fierce.
- 浩然 Haoran我们离那头公牛远一点。Wǒmen lí nà tóu gōngniú yuǎn yìdiǎn.Let's stay a bit further away from that bull.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen好的，浩然。Hǎo de, Hàorán.Okay, Haoran.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bull” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 特, CC BY-SA 4.0.
