红毛猩猩
hóngmáo xīngxing
The English word "orangutan" is translated into Chinese as 红毛猩猩 (hóngmáo xīngxing).
红毛猩猩 is a noun used to refer to the arboreal anthropoid ape known as the orangutan.
Meaning: arboreal anthropoid ape (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The name is composed of 红 (red), 毛 (hair) and 猩猩 (ape/great ape).
How do you pronounce it?
hóngmáo xīngxing
Did you know?
- The term 猩猩 is sometimes used colloquially in mainland China to describe someone behaving in a clumsy or primitive manner.
- Because 猩猩 describes a range of apes, Chinese speakers use the specific prefix 红毛 to distinguish the orangutan from the 黑猩猩 (black chimpanzee).
- The word 毛 means both 'hair' and 'feather', meaning the Chinese name for the orangutan uses a term that can also apply to birds.
Examples in context
- 那只红毛猩猩在吃香蕉。Nà zhī hóngmáoxīngxing zài chī xiāngjiāo.That orangutan is eating a banana.
- 红毛猩猩的毛是红色的。Hóngmáoxīngxing de máo shì hóngsè de.The orangutan's hair is red.
- 动物园里有一只红毛猩猩。Dòngwùyuán lǐ yǒu yī zhī hóngmáoxīngxing.There is an orangutan in the zoo.
Example conversation
Two friends are looking at a wildlife documentary on TV.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen你看，那只红毛猩猩好可爱。Nǐ kàn, nà zhī hóngmáoxīngxing hǎo kě'ài.Look, that orangutan is so cute.
- 俊杰 Junjie是啊，它在树上爬得很快。Shì a, tā zài shù shàng pá de hěn kuài.Yeah, it climbs trees very fast.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen它的眼神看起来很聪明。Tā de yǎnjīng kàn qǐlái hěn cōngmíng.Its eyes look very intelligent.
- 俊杰 Junjie我也觉得，它真的很聪明。Wǒ yě juéde, tā zhēn de hěn cōngmíng.I think so too, it is really smart.
