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玄牡

xuánmǔ
noun

Meanings

  1. 1 black bull (used in ancient sacrifices to Heaven and Earth)
  2. 2 black stallion (classical)

Examples

《论语》中有"予小子履，敢用玄牡"之句。
«Lúnyǔ» zhōng yǒu "yǔ xiǎozǐ Lǚ, gǎn yòng xuánmǔ" zhī jù.
The Analects contains the line 'I, the little child Lü, dare to use a black bull [in sacrifice].'
古人祭天常用玄牡。
Gǔrén jì tiān cháng yòng xuánmǔ.
The ancients often used black bulls when sacrificing to Heaven.

Tips

history
Attested in the Book of Documents and Analects (尧曰篇). 玄 (dark, especially dark red-black) was the ritual color of Heaven; 牡 denotes a male animal. A black bull was the prescribed offering when the Shang founder Tang swore his oath.

Stroke Order

玄 xuán
牡 mǔ