faan1 cou2翻草
Jyutpingfaan1 cou2
Yalefāan chóu
Definition
Rumination; the act of chewing the cud, or to chew the cud.
colloquialanimals
How it's used
翻草 is the specific term used for the biological process of chewing cud, which is more commonly referred to as 反芻 in formal or scientific contexts. While 反芻 is the standard written term, 翻草 is used in more descriptive or casual discussions about animal behavior. It literally describes the action of turning over grass in the mouth, reflecting the physical nature of the process.
Examples
Cows are a type of animal that ruminates.
Do you know which animals are ruminants?
Related words
Common phrases
ruminant animal
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the slang term 翻炒, which means to rehash or bring up an old topic again. Learners often mistake the sound of these two terms because they are phonetically similar in casual speech.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
