猩猩 (xīngxing): orangutan

Measure Word

一只猩猩 zhī

A reduplicated character: 猩猩. The animal radical 犭 signals it's an animal; the right side 星 (star) gives the pronunciation.

动物园里有一只大猩猩。

Dòngwùyuán lǐ yǒu yī zhī dàxīngxing.

There's a gorilla in the zoo.

猩猩是非常聪明的动物。

Xīngxing shì fēicháng cōngming de dòngwù.

Orangutans are very intelligent animals.

猩猩的栖息地正在减少。

Xīngxing de qīxīdì zhèngzài jiǎnshǎo.

The habitat of orangutans is shrinking.

mistakes

猩猩 alone means orangutan. 大猩猩 (big ape) = gorilla, 黑猩猩 (black ape) = chimpanzee. Don't mix them up - adding 大 or 黑 changes the species entirely.

猩 xīng