狸奴

línú

noun

Measure Word

一只狸奴 zhī

Meanings

1 (classical) cat
2 literary pet name for a house cat

Characters

wildcat; raccoon-dog

servant; (affectionate diminutive)

Examples

陆游爱猫，常在诗中称之为狸奴。

Lù Yóu ài māo, cháng zài shī zhōng chēng zhī wéi línú.

Lu You loved cats and often called them 'línú' in his poems.

书房里一只狸奴正趴在古籍上打盹。

Shūfáng lǐ yī zhī línú zhèng pā zài gǔjí shàng dǎdǔn.

A cat was dozing on the old books in the study.

Tips

history

An old Chinese pet name for the house cat, widespread by the Song dynasty. The Southern Song poet 陆游 wrote 《赠猫》 with the line 裹盐迎得小狸奴, using 狸奴 affectionately. 狸 referred to wildcats/civets and 奴 ('servant') was a common diminutive for cherished pets.

Stroke Order

狸 lí

奴 nú