niú
noun HSK 3 #1,407

Measure Word

tóu

Meanings

  1. 1 cow; ox; bull; cattle
  2. 2 awesome; impressive (slang)
  3. 3 stubborn

Characters

A pictograph of an ox head with horns. In slang, means "awesome" or "impressive."

Examples

Nóngmín yǎng le yītóu niú.
The farmer raised a cow.
Nǐ tài niú le!
You're awesome!
Niúròumiàn hěn hǎochī.
Beef noodles are delicious.

Tips

usage
In slang, (or 牛逼, vulgar) means "awesome / badass." 好牛! or 太牛了! is used to praise someone's skills or achievements.
culture
The ox is one of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals. People born in the Year of the Ox are considered diligent and dependable.

Components

pictograph
niú
cow; ox
A frontal-view drawing of an ox: the top and slanting strokes form the curved horns; the long vertical is the spine, the horizontal the shoulders. is itself a Kangxi radical (#93) heading the cattle family — (thing), (special), (herd).

Stroke Order

niú