恐龙

恐龍

kǒnglóng

noun HSK 7-9 #6,186

Measure Word

一只恐龙 zhī

Meanings

1 dinosaur

Characters

fearsome; terrifying

Literally 'terrifying dragon' — the Chinese translation maps perfectly to the Greek roots of 'dinosaur' (deinos = terrible, sauros = lizard).

Examples

恐龙在六千五百万年前灭绝了。

Kǒnglóng zài liùqiān wǔbǎiwàn niánqián mièjué le.

Dinosaurs went extinct 65 million years ago.

孩子们特别喜欢恐龙。

Háizi men tèbié xǐhuan kǒnglóng.

Children especially love dinosaurs.

Tips

memory

恐 (fearsome) + 龙 (dragon) = dinosaur. Both the Chinese and English names describe terrifying reptiles — 'terrible lizard' in Greek, 'fearsome dragon' in Chinese.

In Pop Culture

侏罗纪公园 Zhūluójì Gōngyuán

Jurassic Park

Hollywood dinosaur film franchise

Stroke Order

恐 kǒng

龙 lóng