屠
How to Say
How to Write
Meaning: to slaughter
💡 A 'too' violent butcher with a knife under a corpse (尸).
Compounds
Character Story & Explanation
In a bustling Guangzhou market, a butcher raises his cleaver over a chopping block. The character 屠 (tú) captures this precise moment—a radical 尸 (corpse) over 者 (person), originally depicting a person handling a dead body. Today, it means 'to slaughter' or 'butcher,' used in contexts like 屠杀 (massacre) or 屠夫 (butcher). Historically, it also appears in the surname of the legendary doctor 屠呦呦, showing a shift from violence to healing.
Example Sentences
Common Compounds
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