黑狗

hēigǒu

noun #30,118

Measure Word

一只黑狗 zhī

Meanings

1 black dog
2 depression (metaphor)

Characters

Examples

院子里跑着一只黑狗。

Yuànzi lǐ pǎozhe yī zhī hēigǒu.

A black dog is running in the yard.

丘吉尔把他的抑郁症称为「黑狗」。

Qiūjíěr bǎ tā de yìyùzhèng chēng wéi 「hēigǒu」.

Churchill called his depression 「the black dog」.

Tips

culture

Black dog (黑狗) is an internationally recognized metaphor for depression, popularized by Winston Churchill, who described his bouts of depression as 'the black dog'. This usage has spread into Chinese-language mental health discussions as well.

Stroke Order

黑 hēi

狗 gǒu