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    Chinese Grammar

    Expressing 'ox' or 'cow' with 牛 (niú)

    Description & Modification
    Numbers & Quantity

    Structure

    牛 + Noun

    Explanation

    The noun 牛 (niú) means 'ox,' 'cow,' or 'cattle' and is one of the most culturally significant animal words in Chinese. Beyond its literal meaning, 牛 is widely used in slang to mean 'awesome' or 'impressive.' It is also one of the twelve Chinese zodiac animals.

    Examples

    • 乡下的牛在田里慢慢地走着。

      xiāngxia de niú zài tián lǐ mànmàn de zǒu zhe.

      The cattle in the countryside walked slowly through the fields.

    • 你也太牛了吧，一个人就把这件事搞定了！

      nǐ yě tài niú le ba, yí gè rén jiù bǎ zhè jiàn shì gǎodìng le!

      You're amazing — you handled the whole thing by yourself!

    • 这家农场养了十几头牛，每天都产鲜奶。

      zhè jiā nóngchǎng yǎng le shí jǐ tóu niú, měitiān dōu chǎn xiānnǎi.

      This farm raises more than ten cattle and produces fresh milk every day.

    Expressing 'ox' or 'cow' with 牛 (niú) | Chinese Grammar