牛逼
niú bī · HSK 6
awesome
🐂 牛逼 = ox + vagina; vulgar slang for awesome or badass
Literally 'ox pussy' — 牛 (niú, ox/cow) + 逼 (bī, crude slang for vagina). The ox connotes strength and impressiveness, and the vulgarity amps it up. Often softened in writing as 牛B or NB.
牛 — pictograph of an ox head with horns
牛 is a pictograph that originally depicted the head of an ox or cow, with the top strokes representing the curved horns and the vertical line the face. Early oracle bone forms show the horns clearly. The meaning has remained stable for over three thousand years: cattle, ox, or cow.
逼 — walk radical 辶 + 畐 (full vessel, phonetic)
逼 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The 辶 radical signals motion or approach, while 畐 (depicting a full jar) supplies the sound. Together they convey the idea of pressing close or forcing someone, giving modern meanings like 'to compel' or 'to press in on'.