Farm and wild animals, birds and insects, and how plants grow.
Many names of animals and plants end in a general word that a learner already has — 鱼, 鸟, 花, 树 — which makes a new name easier to place: 鲸鱼, 荷花. Animals take their own measure words: most take 只, cattle 头, a flock or herd 群. And some words are wider than English: 羊 covers sheep and goats, 牛 cows, bulls and oxen.
The words
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Verb (6)
种树to plant treesVerb3
春天是种树的好季节。Spring is a good season for planting trees.
种, to plant, works with any crop: 种花, 种菜.
浇水to water (plants)Verb3
我出差的时候，邻居帮我给花浇水。When I am away on business, my neighbour waters my plants for me.
发芽to sproutVerb3
种子种下去一个星期就发芽了。The seeds sprouted a week after they were sown.
长to growVerb3
雨后草长得特别快。After rain the grass grows especially fast.
长 is to grow; read 长 it means long.
开花to flower; to bloomVerb3
有的花只在晚上开花。Some flowers only bloom at night.
枯to wither; witheredVerb3
好久没下雨，草都枯了。It has not rained for a long time, and the grass has all withered.
Noun (34)
熊猫pandaNoun3
熊猫每天要吃很多竹子。Pandas eat a great deal of bamboo every day.
Measure word: 只.
老虎tigerNoun3
动物园里的老虎正在睡觉。The tiger at the zoo is asleep.
The 老 does not mean old here; it is part of the name, as in 老鼠.
狮子lionNoun3
狮子一叫，别的动物都跑了。As soon as the lion roared, the other animals ran off.
猴子monkeyNoun3
猴子在树上跳来跳去。The monkeys are jumping about in the trees.
兔子rabbit; hareNoun3
她养了两只白兔子。She keeps two white rabbits.
羊sheep; goatNoun3
山坡上有一群羊。There is a flock of sheep on the hillside.
To be exact, a sheep is 绵羊 and a goat 山羊.
牛cow; cattle; oxNoun3
奶奶家以前养过一头牛。My grandmother’s family once kept a cow.
Measure word: 头.
猪pigNoun3
猪其实是很聪明的动物。Pigs are actually very clever animals.
Measure word: 头 or 只.
狐狸foxNoun3
故事里的狐狸常常很聪明。In stories the fox is often clever.
鹿deerNoun3
我们在森林里看到了几只鹿。We saw a few deer in the forest.
骆驼camelNoun3
骆驼好几天不喝水也没问题。A camel can go for several days without water.
鲸鱼whaleNoun3
我第一次在海上看到了鲸鱼。I saw a whale at sea for the first time.
Named with 鱼, though nobody takes it for a fish; also just 鲸.
鸽子pigeon; doveNoun3
广场上有很多鸽子。There are lots of pigeons in the square.
鹅gooseNoun3
院子里的鹅看见生人就叫。The geese in the yard honk whenever they see a stranger.
孔雀peacockNoun3
孔雀开屏的时候特别漂亮。A peacock is especially beautiful when it spreads its tail.
鹦鹉parrotNoun3
这只鹦鹉会说“你好”。This parrot can say "hello".
昆虫insectNoun3
蝴蝶和蜜蜂都是昆虫。Butterflies and bees are both insects.
The scientific word; in everyday speech small creatures are 虫子.
蚂蚁antNoun3
地上有一排蚂蚁在搬东西。There is a line of ants on the ground carrying things.
苍蝇flyNoun3
夏天厨房里苍蝇很多。In summer there are lots of flies in the kitchen.
蜘蛛spiderNoun3
墙角有一只蜘蛛。There is a spider in the corner.
羽毛featherNoun3
这只鸟的羽毛是蓝色的。This bird’s feathers are blue.
爪子paw; clawNoun3
小猫用爪子抓门。The kitten is scratching at the door with its paws.
窝nest; den; (animal’s) bedNoun3
小狗在自己的窝里睡觉。The puppy is asleep in its basket.
植物plantNoun3
我的办公室里有很多植物。There are lots of plants in my office.
花盆flowerpotNoun3
她把花从小花盆换到大花盆里。She moved the plant from a small pot into a bigger one.
叶子leafNoun3
秋天树上的叶子变黄了。In autumn the leaves on the trees turn yellow.
Measure word: 片.
树枝branch (of a tree)Noun3
大风把树枝吹断了。The strong wind broke the branch.
树根root (of a tree)Noun3
这棵老树的树根很深。The roots of this old tree go very deep.
种子seedNoun3
把种子放进土里，再浇点儿水。Put the seeds in the soil, then give them a little water.
种 in the third tone, as in 种类; to plant is 种.
果实fruit (of a plant)Noun3
秋天树上结满了果实。In autumn the trees are heavy with fruit.
The botanical word; fruit to eat is 水果.
荷花lotus flowerNoun3
夏天湖里开满了荷花。In summer the lake is full of lotus flowers.
