The first animal of the Chinese Zodiac is 鼠（shǔ),our word of this week is 鼠- “mouse”.
Pronunciation
鼠 is pronounced shǔ
Meaning
鼠（shǔ）was first seen in Oracle bone script . The original meaning refers to burrowing beasts , but later came to mean mouse or rat. In some areas it they are called 耗子(hàozi).
The upper part of the character represents the mouse’s mouth and teeth .The lower part represents the mouse’s limbs and tail.
Today the connotation of a mouse is that it is gluttonous and broken, which of course has a derogatory meaning. Ironically, however, as the first animal of the Chinese Zodiac, mice represent cleverness, more children, and more blessings.
Example：
鼠目寸光(shǔ mù cùn guāng）
Literally , the eyes of a mouse can see only an inch of light. Metaphorically it conveys short-sightedness.
老鼠过街，人人喊打(lǎo shǔ guò jiē, rén rén hǎn dǎ)
Literally, a mouse crossing the street is chased by all, meaning everyone hates something that is a metaphor for harm.
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