土拨鼠 (tǔbōshǔ): marmot

Measure Word

一只土拨鼠 zhī

Meanings

1 marmot
2 groundhog
3 woodchuck

Characters

to push aside; to dig

鼠

shǔ

mouse; rodent

Examples

土拨鼠住在地下的洞穴里。

Tǔbōshǔ zhù zài dìxià de dòngxué lǐ.

Marmots live in underground burrows.

土拨鼠日是美国的一个传统节日。

Tǔbōshǔ rì shì Měiguó de yīgè chuántǒng jiérì.

Groundhog Day is a traditional American holiday.

Tips

memory

土 (earth) + 拨 (to dig/push aside) + 鼠 (rodent) — an earth-digging rodent. That's literally what a groundhog does: digs through the ground.

culture

The 'screaming marmot' (土拨鼠叫) became a famous Chinese internet meme — a short video of a marmot screaming went massively viral.

Stroke Order

土 tǔ

拨 bō

鼠 shǔ

Related Words

土豆 tǔdòu HSK 5 #4,687

potato

土 tǔ HSK 3 #2,924

earth; soil / local; native / unsophisticated; rustic

土地 tǔdì HSK 4 #2,210

land; soil; territory / farmland; ground

国土 guótǔ HSK 7-9 #5,262

national territory / land of a country / homeland

鼠 shǔ HSK 5 #3,750

rat; mouse / (Chinese zodiac) the Rat

拨 bō HSK 7-9 #2,584

to push aside / to stir / to dial

老鼠 lǎoshǔ #2,041

mouse / rat

拨打 bōdǎ HSK 6 #6,290

to dial (a phone number); to call

松鼠 sōngshǔ #6,681

squirrel

泥土 nítǔ HSK 7-9 #8,200

earth; soil; dirt / clay; mud