犬

Standard term for canines, including hunting and guard dogs. Frequently appears in ritual/sacrificial lists (as an offering) and hunting narratives.

When functioning as a modifier for other nouns, it may introduce qualitative associations of predation, feral nature, or low status.

In the oldest strata of classical Chinese, 犬 is the dominant formal term; 狗 appears later and typically occupies a colloquial or vernacular register. A shift between these two within a single text often signals a change in register or a distinction between a "noble" hound and a common cur.

In later classical and vernacular Chinese, the glyph evolved into a sharp pejorative implying servility or a lack of human dignity.

The semantic variant 犭 (U+72AD) is used as a left-side radical; in this position, the meaning expands from "dog" to a general category of mammals and carnivores (e.g., cats, wolves, lions, monkeys).

Caution is advised when translating early texts: do not project later pejorative connotations onto passages where the animal's nature is being described literally.