ZHIZHI 知止 · LEARN CHINESE DAILY

sheep; goat

yáng
6 strokes · Pictograph: a sheep's head with curling horns, viewed front-on · HSK 2

Where 羊 comes from

羊 is a portrait: two horns curving over a long face. So admired was the animal that 羊 builds goodness itself — 美 'beautiful' is a big 大 sheep 羊, and 善 'virtuous' has a sheep at its heart. To ancient herders, a fat sheep was beauty and virtue in one body.

羊 in Chinese culture

The zodiac's 羊 year famously confuses translators — sheep? goat? ram? Chinese doesn't force the choice. 羊肉串 lamb skewers rule street corners from Xinjiang to Shanghai, and 三羊开泰 'three sheep open prosperity' is the New Year pun for good beginnings.

Example

羊肉 yángròu — mutton; lamb

冬天吃羊肉最好。
Dōngtiān chī yángròu zuì hǎo.
Mutton is best in winter.

How to remember it

Two horns over a long face — a SHEEP looking straight at you.

薅羊毛 'plucking sheep's wool' is netizen slang for milking every coupon and cashback — the platforms are the sheep.

Same sound, different tones

1st yāng
center
2nd yáng
sheep
3rd yǎng
to raise
4th yàng
appearance

Words unlocked by 羊

羊肉 yángròu
mutton
羊毛 yángmáo
wool
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